KK's 5K--The Fifth Annual, August 24 2010

Caleigh Hoban, 8, kicking back before
the 5th Annual KK's 5K Race

Here's a story of an early encounter I had with my niece, Caleigh Hoban:

A few years ago, perhaps 8 or so, I paid a visit to my brother Jim, his wife Colleen and their two daughters--Maddie who was two at the time and six-month old Caleigh or "KK"--as her new phonetically lettered nickname would be pronounced. The reason for the visit escapes me now, but I stayed for dinner that evening. While the parents prepared the food in the kitchen, I took my place at the dining room table with the girls. Maddie in her chair. Me in mine. And Caleigh (all 15 lbs of her) snug in her car seat and plunked smack dab in the middle of the table. No finer centerpiece in the great state of Delaware could goo-goo and gaa-gaa like that kid could!

Anyway, as we three waited, Maddie and I clinked glasses with whatever fashionable drinks we sipped away at, when--without warning--an amazing (and I mean AMAZING!) geyser of frothy liquid arced across the dining room table. I tell you that stream took the most perfect parabolic path in midair. It would appear that the baby's tummy didn't quite take to the most recent feeding and so it decided to anoint the head of the table's place setting with gak! Splash, crash and dash. In that order, the sounds of liquid discharge, a chair hitting the floor and me scrambling around for anything to "plug up the hole''!

My brother and sister-in-law emerged from the kitchen, wondering what all the fuss was about. Maddie laughed, Caleigh dripped and I stood in a less panicky cold sweat. A moment later and the mess was cleaned and dinner commenced.

--

Though this was a funny scene then, unfortunately for Caleigh and her parents, many more similar events played out to the point where Jim and Colleen knew that something was wrong with their daughter. They would learn, after many hospital visits and test after test after test, that Caleigh suffers from a rare disease known as eosinophilic esophagiti or EE. In essence, Caleigh is allergic to food. Not certain types of food. Food. Period. She cannot eat any and all foods that we take for granted. If Caleigh were to do so she would experience intense belly pain and white blood cells would buiild up in her esophagus, and evenutally close her esophagus.

With the help of their doctors and a growing network of similarly affected individuals, Jim and Colleen were able to get the diagnosis that Caleigh's affliction is indeed EE. Since that time valiant attempts at treating the disease began and continue to this day. Currently there is no successful all out cure. Caleigh subsists on a regimented diet of special amino acid shakes and the occasional Dum Dum lollipop. Aside from short trial periods of eating certain fruits, this is all that Caleigh has been able to injest for the past nine years. Can you imagine? Never a Thanksgiving dinner. Nor a hotdog with all the fixings. Nor a single cookie. (Just one?) No. Not permitted. Can you imagine what it would be like to blow out the candles on your own birthday cake and know that you're the only one not allowed to have a piece?

I can't. But it always breaks my heart to think of her in that situation.

--

But then there are the many good times we share with Caleigh and her mom and dad and her brother and sister. One such annual event is the 5K run that Jim and Colleen organize every year in Wilmington, DE. The charity run raises dollars and awareness to the little known disease from which Caleigh and other children suffer.

Last week marked the 5th Anniversary of "KK's 5K Run", a race that loops around the Wilmington waterfront along the Christiana River. A great turn out of over 130 runners and walkers raised money by hitting the asphalt. I decided to "sit out" this year's run to document the event (and, you know, to allow some other competitive type to take one of the top five spots! (yeah right!))

It was a terrific night for a worthy cause. Here's to the winners in all the categories! Here's to Jim and Colleen and all the family and friends who support their cause. And here's to Caleigh: a great niece and a wonderful cousin to Anna. Keep at it, kid! I'll have a few Dum Dums for you the next time we meet!!


Here is a video compilation of scenes from the 5th Annual KK's 5K Run:

Scott Pilgrim Vs My Review

Sitting here separating socks from a load of whites, I am thinking of another load of whites (with a few Asians thrown in for good measure): crazy Canadian 20 somethings doing their crazy Canadian 20 something thing in the new Edgar Wright film "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World".

I took in a solo late night screening this past Wednesday at the local plex, Fandango ticket print out and wife's permission slip in tow. Since I know nothing of the graphic novel on which the film is based, I looked forward to experiencing this new (to me) pop culture phenomenon through the very delicious visual wizardry that Mr. Wright brings to all his films. [For those not familiar with Edgar Wright's previous work, he is the force behind the cult hits: "Shawn of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", two very recent additions in my top 100 films of all time.] The Wright stuff is a combination of "fish out of water" character driven plots, fast & tight story driven edits and oh so witty dialogue that make for a reel to final reel rollercoaster ride of a cinematic experience. The Facebook buzz from former students was positive. I was psyched to see it.

Too bad I did see it. [Cue "The Price is Right" Losing Horns musical sting.]

That may be a bit unfair. However, of the three Wright films mentioned, "Scott Pilgrim" is the least right. The biggest wrong, with many more venial cinematic sins committed, in this story is precisely that--the story. So unoriginal and so one-dimensional. "Dear Mr Wright, give us something with at least as many dimensions as the primary comic source, puh-leeeze!" Truthfully? It was "an unepic of unepic unepicness". For those not in the know you can read my slanted encapsulation of the story or scroll down and view the trailer, your choice:

Scott Pilgrim, bass player 'ordinaire' in a Toronto-based grunge(?) band, falls for a goth-esque, bore me type beauty he spots at club appearances. All's fair in love and video war games except that poor Scott, in order to successfully win the barely beating heart of said vamp princess, must face her seven Exes...not ex-boyfriends...Exes in a fight to the death. (It would seem that dopey Scott (played by Michael Cera of Michael Cera fame) is the only one who doesn't know what she's referring to when she continues to correct him by saying "Exes"...wink wink!) The conflicts, whether they be between bands, between the real and the 'sort-of-like' unreal or simply between boy and girl are the center of this cinematic summer romp. The battle between Scott and the Exes--the defining and rising action in the movie--escalate in the usual Hollywood movie fight sequence style, complete with thematically appropriate comic book stylings and video game flair. In the end, bad guys die (Ca-CHING!), young love reigns supreme (Oooh la la) and kids buy the Playstation version of the movie game at local retail stores (more Ca-CHING!).




The problem with all of this is plain and simple: boredom, with a capital 'S' for 'Snoozer Alert'. We've been there and we've done all that. Unfortunately I've seen this movie before, albeit as individual scenes appearing in previous movie releases. Claims of this movie's landscape as being "unfamiliar", as A.O. Scott describes in his review of the movie are sadly ill-informed. Comic book genre movies are all over the place. Stylistic groundbreakers range from "Tank Girl" (ho hum) to Ang Lee's "The Hulk" (moderate) to "American Splendor" (so good). Here's the trailer for this movie inspired by the life and work of the recently deceased Harvey Pekar:




And then there are the art forms on the "lesser" media distribution method. Many television series, "Heroes" comes to mind, push (perhaps too far) the comic book visual genre into something that wishes it was more interactive, more user-driven in nature.

And this brings us to the genre of video game styled movies. Mr. Scott continued in this New York Times movie review that "Scott Pilgrim Vs The World" could be the best video game movie to date. To this I say, "So what!!" Don't get me wrong. I'm all about style, but forgive me mama Gertrude for butchering one of your most famous aphorisms when I plead aloud, "More movies that matter with less computer generated art!!" Since when did style in movies truly supercede good storytelling? That's all this movie was: form over function. Style informs story, not the other way around. That is why, in my humble opinion, "Scott Pilgrim" is an exceptionally well stylized movie...with no story to write home about. There are many, many great moments in the movie, but you know what they say about the sum of the parts...

And love I did, the many little parts that Mr. Wright and his team brought to the screen. Starting with the Universal Studios theme song ala Nintendo 64 bit sound quality at the start of the movie. This was followed up with a rousing (can I use that word to describe the beginning of a movie?) title sequence that employed the techniques of scratch animation--a pseudo-psychadelic feel where animators color/draw directly on the 35mm film leader. This hand drawn animation was accompanied by a high tempo, indy rock style song ala The White Stripes (but credited to the fictional band portrayed in the film). A perfect audio-visual duet...reminiscent of the title sequence of the late '90s Tom Tykwer offering: "Run Lola Run". Here's the trailer for "Lola":



Many other great moments like the "Seinfeld" spoof, complete with scene change baseline riff and accompanying laugh track are fun and mildly amazing, but hardly unfamiliar turf for the movies. Case in point: Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" presents a disturbing domestic scene in the guise of a sitcom, probably patterned after the Fox hit series at the time, "Married With Children". Find it on your own...Warning: Viewer Discretion Is Advised!!

---

I could go on and on...and I believe I already have. (Oh if bloggers only had editors!) But let me drop this review, right here right now. Drop it right off the proverbial high school research paper cliff (that is...end it with a thud) and say: "Scott Pilgrim Vs The World" not worth the $11.00 US in theatres. Wait for the DVD. Better yet, borrow the DVD!

BUT!! I truly look forward to future work by Edgar Wright. This young auteur's oeuvre is maturing into a body of work that is something the world of modern cinema desperately needs. So what if he stumbles here and there along the way. Hell, Hitchcock had his "The Trouble With Harry".

To wrap, here's an interview of Edgar Wright on NPR's Fresh Air describing the making of his recent effort. Enjoy and thanks for reading:



(Oh and speaking of wrapping...I just finished separating the whites. I'm missing one sock. Dammit...I'm always missing one sock!!)


-Marty

It's Great To Be Back...

...in West Chester, Pennsylvania!! [cue the crowd roar!]

I can't write/type much...my brain is fried. Ang, Anna and I have returned, but I have the worst face of the day: Road Face...from kickin' it out of Canada, across New York State and back into the Commonwealth. Four hundred plus miles in under 8.5 hours. And that includes three stops: for gas, for lunch and for popping in on Cousin Nick in Scranton, PA. (Cousin to Anna, nephew and godson to me!!) Here are the pics to prove it. ADDED BONUS!!>>>Anna meets the newest member of the Hoban clan: ten week old Athena!! (The jury is still out on who's the cutest. (My vote's on Nick!!))










--This is all for now. I bid you...goodnight!

-Marty

Up, Up And Away!

During our second evening in lovely Southampton, Ontario, a few essentials were packed up for some late day beach fun: a wagon, two kids and a kite!

Galen and Anna ready for the ramble down the gravel path
to the shores of Lake Huron.

Galen chose to stick close to the ground and perfect his sand sculpting skills:

A future Frank Gehry

While Anna took to the skies:




with her 'pirate' kite:




Determined to get it higher...




...and dare the mighty gales blowing about this Great Lake.

Copyright Infringement, Schmopyright Infringement (that's what I say)

Here's a little mutli-media experience that'll get you, the "Such Summer Stuff" blog reader, to fully interact with today's blog submission. And the bonus feature: Together we will work around any copyright infringement claims when non-licensed music is included in video creations by today's online media producers. By simply embedding two videos on the blog and playing them simultaneously, you will enrich (in this specific example) your viewing pleasure of Anna's experience in her first ever CAR WASH! So, here's what you should do: first click on Video 1 "Car Wash Song": a sweet sampling of the musical stylings of the classic (to some!) song by Rose Royce--Car Wash. THEN at roughly 30 seconds into that glam jam disco nonsense, hit play on Video #2: "At the Car Wash (yeah!)" featuring Anna. I know, I know...the timing ain't ever going to be as synced as "Dark Side of the Rainbow", but at least this particular coupling of music and video makes more sense!! Your media elements are below. Begin your experience....NOW:




AND






NOTE: the savvy blog reader/mix master will adjust the volumes of the videos accordingly to gain the full effect of the "Car Wash" screening event!!


-Marty

8-9-10

Today marks the fifteenth anniversary of the death of one Jerome John Garcia, or more affectionately and widely remembered as Jerry Garcia, the undeniable leader of the once Grateful Dead. It was a sad day that summer for the legions of Deadheads as well as the multitudes of music lovers the world over. Mere days after the Dead's Summer of '95 tour ended (and just a few weeks before I was to receive my first west coast mail order tickets for the upcoming Fall Tour), Jerry's heart gave out in the early morning hours on Wednesday, August 9th. Reports at the time stated that Garcia, a frequent drug abuser, had admitted himself to a treatment clinic in Marin County, California to get cleaned up. Perhaps it was one of those "too little, too late" tragic moments...but a tragedy nonetheless.

For me it was both a shock and a surreal moment when I learned of Jerry's death. I was on the west coast, L.A. to be specific, at the annual Siggraph conference. My exact location was a phone booth (remember them?!) on Venice Beach. I called home to check in and immediately my sister on the other end of the line asked how I was handling the news. I asked, "What news?" And she proceeded to tell me what most of the country had learned from radio and television reports. Stunned and saddened I pretty much moped through the rest of the conference. Jerry Garcia is dead. Damn. Being relatively close to the Dead's hometown, a friend and I took to the rails and headed up to San Francisco, crashing mere blocks from the corner of Haight and Ashbury Streets.

Pardon the cliche, but...what a trip! It was the right place to be for the very worst of reasons, however I look back on that sad weekend of street corner tributes and candlelight vigils and think how lucky I was to be out there with so many others who felt this same tremendous and sudden loss. The lasting memory of my time in the city by the bay is of Garcia's Memorial Service (and impromptu concert of sorts) held that weekend in Golden Gate Park. I guess, in the end, I did get to go to my first (and only) west coast show after all!

The Grateful Dead's music means so much to me. What it meant back during my touring days was getting together with friends, doing a little shakin', rattlin' and rollin', taking in "the scene" and most importantly being wisked sky high by Garcia's guitar virtuosity. To me, such summer stuff meant goosebumps during a Scarlet Begonia solo:



or "calling" Estimated Prophet before the telltale "waa waa" guitar sounds played:



or experiencing the legendary happenings before and after the show on "Shakedown Street":



Amazing, amazing music. And what a wonderful way to spend the summer days and nights! I look back at the three - four dozen Grateful Dead shows I saw (a mere pittance compared with the hundreds of shows the most loyal of followers took in) and wish that the experience could have lasted forever. How silly is that? Well, at least we have the memories...and those tapes/cds...oh those tapes/cds/mp3s/whatever comes next!!

Continue to rest in peace, Jerry. And God bless the Grateful Dead!

-Marty

Jerry Garcia
Born: August 1, 1942
Died: August 9, 1995

Copyright, Al Hirshfeld

All August...All Anna...All The Time...AAAAAAGHHH!!

Yes, as you may have guessed from the title of this post (and the conspicuous lack of blog entries in over ten days!!), I am now officially with child. That is to say, I have Anna for the entire month of August. No school...no daycare...NO EXIT!! (Where's Jean-Paul Sartre when you need him, huh?)

Of course I kid, I kid. It's great to be in the presence of a five year old...morning, noon and night. We're doing quite a bit together. Many places and people we have visited thus far. So much so, it's been hard to write about our fun on the blog, even though it's only been a little over a week!

However here I am with a report of our doings from this past Friday. All week Anna was excited to go to the West Goshen Carnival, an annual event up the road from us. All week, while out doing errands, we watched the amusements and rides being constructed on the field next to the West Goshen Firehouse. Once images of merry-go-rounds and petting zoos enter this little one's head, it's hard to get them out (and to keep her excitement in check!) In the future we'll ride in the opposite direction when doing errands and then spring the carnival on her on the last night. Better yet, maybe we won't even tell her it's in town!! (Again, I kid, I kid!!)

BUT...before this First Friday Fun Night, we had a whole day to get through. And with temperatures dropping, as well as the humidity, it was a perfect day to visit one of Philly's famous playgrounds: Smith Park. Now Anna was at Smith once before (two years back) but she doesn't recall the visit. Not a problem...she knew exactly what to do the minute we hopped out of the car in Fairmount Park. Check out the fun. (And for you locals who grew up in Philadelphia, you may recall the giant slide!):




Smith Park is a great place for kids in the summer. We'll be going back again before the season's up.

Later that day, after a nice nap (for both of us!) and a little dinner we headed out to the carnival where Anna met some of her old classmates from Pre-K! Wonderful time for the youngins! Check out the fun:




Well, those are two video highlights from the end of Week One. Week Two is already underway. Angela will be home from her biz trip to Orlando in two days, and then off we three go to the Great White North to visit friends along the beaches of Lake Huron. Oh Canada, LOOK OUT!!

-Marty