i can’t handle it

ugh. i see these political smear ads, and they piss me off. president bush was unprepared for terror because kerry slashed his budget! please. give me a break. if by “cut the intelligence budget” they mean “actually supports giving more money to education such that bush and his croneys can read and comprehend the memos given to them instead of just saying that they won’t leave anyone behind, including our extra-bright president who is afraid to debate kerry,” then i agree. entirely.

also, feingold wants terrorists to rape and pillage the people of america, as is evidenced by him not signing the quasi-facist “patriot act.” please. we have the bill of rights for a reason, people.

i get the feeling from drew’s current frontpage that he feels similarly.

the bourne supremacy

not as good as the first one, imo, but still fun to watch.

the fog of war

a very interesting documentary about war and avoiding it.

the bourne identity

the best bond movie i’ve seen in a long time.

the rich smell of bombay curry

right now one of my favorite recipes, a recipe for a beef curry labelled “bombay curry” by the $2 cookbook i found it in, is simmering away on the stove. the smell of spices and tomatoes currently floating through my apartment is easily among my favorites. i believe i’ve ranted about it before, but in case you missed it the first time:

heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil in a saucepan. cook 2 onions (chopped) until soft. add 2 cloves garlic (crushed), 2 green chiles (chopped), 2 tbsp fresh ginger (grated), 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, and 1 tsp chili powder, and stir until heated. add 2 pounds chuck steak (trimmed and cubed; i use pre-cubed stew meat) and cook, stirring, over high heat, until well coated with the spice mixture. add 1 tsp salt and 1 14.5 oz can whole peeled tomates (i like to crush these, myself). simmer, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beef is tender. stir in 1 cup coconut milk and simmer, uncovered, for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. garnish with fresh ginger.

the shining

being a big fan of the movie loosely based on this, i was interested to see what the differences between novel and screenplay would be. i much prefer king’s wendy to kubrick’s wendy (the creepy and weepy shelley duvall). i also like the topiary scenes, but i can certainly see why kubrick didn’t want to go near them with a ten foot pole.