Thursday, November 1, 2012
World Series Champions Twice in the Last Three Years
Here is a song parody about the 2012 World Series Champions: (We love this!)
More fun stuff:
Here was Ashkon's song parody for the 2010 Giants:
And here is this year's from Ashkon, filmed at the parade:
Monday, October 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Matt Cain's Perfect Game!
(I have not lost any of my fanaticism for the San Francisco Giants. I am still watching/following every game on the internet, smart phone, tv, or radio.)
I was sick with "could be bronchitis." Very unlike me, even while sick, I stayed in bed for a day or so, too ill to stay awake. I had the Giants game on, but fell asleep early in the evening. And MATT CAIN THREW A PERFECT GAME.
A PERFECT GAME.
A.
PERFECT.
GAME.
Thankfully, we live in a time when you can just call up yesterday's game and watch it, so I did see the game, but I didn't get to experience the (I'm guessing paralyzing) tension of watching it live, which I'm sure I would have done through my fingers.
But it was great. Cain said he felt the contributions of everyone on the field with him, every fan in the stands. He gave credit where it was due, to Buster Posey calling the pitches (none of which he shook off)... to outfielders Cabrera and Blanco making a couple of amazing outs... and to the offense scoring 10 runs!
Let's re-live it.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
AT&T Park, San Francisco
San Francisco Giants (10) vs. Houston Astros (0)
Matt Cain throws MLB's 22nd Perfect Game
All 27 outs (including those two catches!) and the hugs:
Post-game interviews
It was foul
The 9th inning
I was sick with "could be bronchitis." Very unlike me, even while sick, I stayed in bed for a day or so, too ill to stay awake. I had the Giants game on, but fell asleep early in the evening. And MATT CAIN THREW A PERFECT GAME.
A PERFECT GAME.
A.
PERFECT.
GAME.
Thankfully, we live in a time when you can just call up yesterday's game and watch it, so I did see the game, but I didn't get to experience the (I'm guessing paralyzing) tension of watching it live, which I'm sure I would have done through my fingers.
But it was great. Cain said he felt the contributions of everyone on the field with him, every fan in the stands. He gave credit where it was due, to Buster Posey calling the pitches (none of which he shook off)... to outfielders Cabrera and Blanco making a couple of amazing outs... and to the offense scoring 10 runs!
Let's re-live it.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
AT&T Park, San Francisco
San Francisco Giants (10) vs. Houston Astros (0)
Matt Cain throws MLB's 22nd Perfect Game
- Cain hits a golf ball into the marina before the game.
- There was a guy in a jet pack hovering over the bay.
- The Giants keep scoring!
- We realize there have been no hits and no walks. But we dare not think about it... not yet...
- All those strikeouts (14).
- The MelkMan (Cabrera) makes that catch! The hitter's bemused face seems to say "clearly something big is happening here tonight." Cain's face shows he thinks so too!
- Blanco's catch! Unbelievable!
- The wives watching (including my favorite, Nicole Vogelsong, who seems like she's the rock).
- The ninth inning. Cain looks around the stadium and takes it all in.
- The final out, when Arias somehow stays upright and makes the throw! And Belt puts the ball in his pocket, to give to Cain in a calmer moment.
- The hugs. Cain & Posey, Cain & Everyone!
- Cain's remarks on field after the game. What a class act.
All 27 outs (including those two catches!) and the hugs:
Post-game interviews
It was foul
The 9th inning
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Movie Review: Brave
The kids and I went to see Pixar's "Brave" last weekend.
Of course, we had a great time. We laughed, we cried...
The animation was gorgeous, and the voice work was great as well.
It had a bit of a darker, more mystical aesthetic than some other princess movies, due to its celtic setting. The colors used were greens, greys, and browns, with a mop of bright orange curly hair standing out against the scenery. There were also some blues used as accent colors. Contrasted with the bright, sparkling pinks and purples of "Tangled," the visual choices conjured a tone and a definite sense of place that was unique to this film.
"Change your fate," states not only the film's propaganda, but also the concluding voiceover. My strongest reaction to "Brave," however, is that this story doesn't actually convey that theme. It didn't show Merida changing her fate. She wanted to change her fate, but her attempts to do so were dangerous, ill-conceived, and rash, and she quickly realized that she needed to undo her actions and return things to they way they once were.
It is true that at the beginning of the film, she was facing arranged marriage, while by the end, she had persuaded those in power to change the tradition and allow the young people to marry for love. But it was not actually Merida who orchestrated that change.
I wonder, without the concluding voiceover, would the moviegoer think that the movie's theme is "change your fate?" I hope not, because it would seem to be "change your fate by endangering your mother."
Yikes!
To me, what "Brave" was actually about was the mother-daughter relationship. It took me by surprise, but as clear as day, that's what it was about! Pixar really knows how to tug at my tear ducts: the passing of childhood from one generation to the next in "Toy Story 3" and now the mother-daughter relationship in "Brave!"
Teenage girls and their mothers are often at odds. They often have trouble really hearing each other's side of the situation. Conflicts escalate quickly and bubble over. Teenage girls wish that their mothers were different in some way (or many ways).
"Brave" explores all this, and pushes it further. What would happen if the teenage girl's wish came true: what if she changed her mother? Merida does, and quickly learns to regret it! The rest of the movie is about how they learn to communicate so they can work together and bring the mother "back."
Once they learn to empathize with one another, then the so-called "change your fate" part happens (Merida's mother makes it happen).
This is the biggest example of how "Brave" was quite different from what it seemed in the trailer. It seemed like the story of a strong girl using her athleticism (horsemanship and archery) to make her own way in the world. It did not convey the sense that it was the story of a princess.
Linda Holmes of NPR's Monkey See blog wrote a post three years ago that called for Pixar to make a movie with a female heroine, going on to ask that she be a rough-and-tumble girl with "skinned knees." It is disappointing that "Brave" did not turn out to be that movie. In many ways, Pixar instead gave us another Disney Princess.
I do feel that disappointment, but want to point out something about the "Brave" story that actually is rare in princess movies: Merida has two parents! Both her mother and her father are alive, present, and loving. She also has three (hilarious!) little brothers. Not only that, but as I posited, the story is entirely about the mother-daughter relationship. Think about the princesses we've seen in other movies... they all grew up without their mothers! So in a way, this movie was a bold (dare I say, brave?) departure, a rare gem of a princess story!
A powerful story, one that brought out a deep emotional response in at least this former-teenage-girl-who-wishes-she-had-treated-her-mother-better-during-those-years (because mom definitely deserved better).
Beautiful visuals, terrific voice acting. Pixar's "Brave."
Of course, we had a great time. We laughed, we cried...
The animation was gorgeous, and the voice work was great as well.
It had a bit of a darker, more mystical aesthetic than some other princess movies, due to its celtic setting. The colors used were greens, greys, and browns, with a mop of bright orange curly hair standing out against the scenery. There were also some blues used as accent colors. Contrasted with the bright, sparkling pinks and purples of "Tangled," the visual choices conjured a tone and a definite sense of place that was unique to this film.
"Change your fate," states not only the film's propaganda, but also the concluding voiceover. My strongest reaction to "Brave," however, is that this story doesn't actually convey that theme. It didn't show Merida changing her fate. She wanted to change her fate, but her attempts to do so were dangerous, ill-conceived, and rash, and she quickly realized that she needed to undo her actions and return things to they way they once were.
It is true that at the beginning of the film, she was facing arranged marriage, while by the end, she had persuaded those in power to change the tradition and allow the young people to marry for love. But it was not actually Merida who orchestrated that change.
I wonder, without the concluding voiceover, would the moviegoer think that the movie's theme is "change your fate?" I hope not, because it would seem to be "change your fate by endangering your mother."
Yikes!
To me, what "Brave" was actually about was the mother-daughter relationship. It took me by surprise, but as clear as day, that's what it was about! Pixar really knows how to tug at my tear ducts: the passing of childhood from one generation to the next in "Toy Story 3" and now the mother-daughter relationship in "Brave!"
Teenage girls and their mothers are often at odds. They often have trouble really hearing each other's side of the situation. Conflicts escalate quickly and bubble over. Teenage girls wish that their mothers were different in some way (or many ways).
"Brave" explores all this, and pushes it further. What would happen if the teenage girl's wish came true: what if she changed her mother? Merida does, and quickly learns to regret it! The rest of the movie is about how they learn to communicate so they can work together and bring the mother "back."
Once they learn to empathize with one another, then the so-called "change your fate" part happens (Merida's mother makes it happen).
This is the biggest example of how "Brave" was quite different from what it seemed in the trailer. It seemed like the story of a strong girl using her athleticism (horsemanship and archery) to make her own way in the world. It did not convey the sense that it was the story of a princess.
Linda Holmes of NPR's Monkey See blog wrote a post three years ago that called for Pixar to make a movie with a female heroine, going on to ask that she be a rough-and-tumble girl with "skinned knees." It is disappointing that "Brave" did not turn out to be that movie. In many ways, Pixar instead gave us another Disney Princess.
I do feel that disappointment, but want to point out something about the "Brave" story that actually is rare in princess movies: Merida has two parents! Both her mother and her father are alive, present, and loving. She also has three (hilarious!) little brothers. Not only that, but as I posited, the story is entirely about the mother-daughter relationship. Think about the princesses we've seen in other movies... they all grew up without their mothers! So in a way, this movie was a bold (dare I say, brave?) departure, a rare gem of a princess story!
A powerful story, one that brought out a deep emotional response in at least this former-teenage-girl-who-wishes-she-had-treated-her-mother-better-during-those-years (because mom definitely deserved better).
Beautiful visuals, terrific voice acting. Pixar's "Brave."
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