Fictional Cafe: Menu Pictures

As Laura and I make items from our Fictional Cafe, I'll try to post pictures to entice you to make a fictional visit.  Below is Laura's Strawberry Short Cake.  Notice the cake is not a nasty sponge-like material, but rather a dense and delicious biscuit cake. 

Here are the strawberries being prepared.  Notice the bowl in which they are being juiced.  It is best to leave them for as long as possible in a lot of sugar.  

These are the no-bake cookies.  Notice that they are bars.  Also, they include extra ingredients, like coconut.  I remember when I first had no-bake cookies that weren't made from this recipe and wondered how they could be so plain (and they were from the usually wonderful Provo Bakery, no less).  Anyway, the point is that these are fantastic.  

Movies/Careers Fantasies

Even though I’m well into a career path that should eventually land me a job in academia, I sometimes like to imagine what other careers I’d enjoy.  The funny thing is that I derive most of my information about prospective jobs from the movies. 

 

One of the best examples of this phenomenon is my consideration of the Foreign Service.  For a long time working for the Foreign Service has seemed like a cool job: living in different countries, doing things that affect world issues, etc.  The problem is that I’ve never really been sure what the Foreign Service does.  If I try to visualize a day in the life of a professor, for example, or a journalist, doctor, lawyer, salesperson, etc., I can easily come up with something that, in most cases, comes from the movies.  With the Foreign Service, on the other hand, I can’t think of anything.  The closest I can come is Julia Stiles’ character in the Bourne movies.  I realize her character doesn’t work for the Foreign Service, but she is a young, government-employed professional working overseas and there aren’t many other films that have anything close to that.  (I know there are many spy movies, but when I try to think of movies depicting U.S. overseas employees with desk jobs almost nothing comes to mind.)

 

The point here isn’t that I want to do what Julia Stiles’ does in the movies, but that the ability to consider jobs (or any activities for that matter) is based almost entirely on a basic understanding of what those jobs are like.  Because I can’t live a day in the life of every career out there, the media actually provides a “service” by preparing me for certain careers.  Even if a movie like All the President’s Men glamorizes journalism, for example, I still get a general sense of what reporters do when I watch it.  Ultimately I might not be doing exactly what Robert Redford does, but watching it might either interest me in the profession or let me know its not something I’d enjoy. 

 

If saying that movies (and the media) socialize us and prepare us for future careers is nothing new, what seems even more interesting is the fact that movies also direct our attention away from certain activities.  The Foreign Service seems like a good example; despite the fact that it might be an easily glamorize-able job there’s really not that many films out there about it.  Thus, despite increased popularity in recent years, its still not on a lot of people’s list of things to do.  On the other hand, there are a number of films about professors (Stranger Than Fiction, A Beautiful Mind, Indiana Jones, etc.)  Coincidentally or not, that's the profession that I’ve chosen to go into. 

 

Besides simply influencing the choices people make, there are a number of consequences of this situation.  For example, we could see movies as either rightly preparing people for productive lives, or as teaching them to subjugate themselves to individuals and systems that already have power.  We could also see films as structuring our lives into “genres.”  (Romantic comedies would be a sufficient example of this, though other genres would work as well.)  If these aren’t exactly new observations, they’ve at least taken on greater immediacy in my own life as I’ve considered my career options.  I also don’t know what the long term consequences of this issue are, but for now I wish someone would make a movie about a person who just finished their master’s thesis and blogs all day.  Then maybe I’d know what I’m doing right now.  

Father’s Day/A Celebration of Virility

Tomorrow is Father’s Day, so I figured it might be a good time to reflect on this day of fatherly celebration.  More specifically, I’d like to take this opportunity to explore the strange fact that Father’s Day (and Mother’s Day) seem to be more a celebration of male-ness (or female-ness on Mother’s Day) than of actual parenting. 

 

My perception of Father’s Day is inevitably influenced by the way it is celebrated at my church.  For the past few years (both when I was single and now that I'm married), I have received a gift from my ward (aka congregation).  Usually it's something small, like a candy bar or a cinnamon role.  On Mother’s Day I’ve seen women receive similar gifts, as well as things like small plants or home decorations (I’m not going to get into gender stereotyping here, though obviously it goes on).

 

The odd thing about these events, nice as they are, is that I am not a father.  When Laura has received gifts in the past it has struck me as equally odd, as of course she isn't a mother.  Indeed the typical criteria for who receives a gift is usually just being over 18 years old and of the male gender (for Father’s Day, or female gender for Mother’s Day).  While I always love to get a big candy bar, casting the celebratory net so wide seems to trivialize that actual act of parenting.  After all, if I don’t have kids what am I being congratulated for?

 

The result of this situation, and the answer to that question, seems to be that I am being honored for my sexual potential to have children.  In this case, Father’s Day becomes a celebration of male virility, while Mother’s Day becomes a celebration of female fertility.  Of course, there may be people receiving these gifts who are not physically capable of having children, but it seems like more of a theoretical celebration, as if to say, “in the ideal world we’d all be sexually potent, so have a Twix.” 

 

I’m not opposed to this turn of events, but I think we should acknowledge it for what it is.  After all, just because we don’t want people to feel bad or left out doesn’t mean that we should honor them for something they didn’t do.  Instead, lets continue to honor the male and female genders, while also acknowledging parenting and those lucky people who happen to be parents.  Perhaps we can initiate a new kind of day; it could be called Parents Day and the criteria for getting a candy bar is actually having sired a child.  Otherwise, if we do nothing, we make no distinction between parents and non-parents and accordingly suggest that those people who are raising children aren’t really doing anything more than the child-less.    

 

I don’t know how widespread this issue is.  As I mentioned above, my understanding of these holidays is inevitably informed by my church experience.  (I realize that many people probably have smaller, family celebrations and so none of this really applies.)  However, if we are going to claim to celebrate parenting, lets do that.  If not, maybe its time to change the name from Father’s Day to Male Virility Day.  

Community Identity Crisis

Sometimes cities have identity crises.  I’m sure it happens for a lot of reasons, though a common one might be colliding values exerted through businesses, buildings, and community activities. My current hometown, Provo, seems to be in the midst of just such a crisis.   

 

Earlier today Laura and I went looking for some drum equipment and decided to check the local pawnshops for deals.  While (surprisingly) there are pawnshops all over Provo, they’re actually concentrated on Center Street between 4^th and 5^th West (which is even more surprising to me).  Walking from store to store I couldn’t help but notice the kind of environment that prevailed on this block.  While I don’t like to disparage local enterprise, the area seemed dirty, run down, and seedy because of the kinds of businesses that it housed.  Of the three pawnshops, at least one (and maybe all) doubled as a payday loan business (the filthy dregs of capitalism, in my opinion).  The most legitimate businesses on the block were the City Limits bar (an inevitably marginalized place given Provo’s demographics) and a small restaurant that actually looked appealing but suffered from being wedged between two pawnshops that looked like overstuffed garages.  The block also had numerous vacant spaces, as is the case everywhere in town. 

 

As we walked around this block it occurred to me that the environment was distinctly one of “Old Provo.”  I don’t mean this in the sense of Provo back in its pioneer past.  Instead, the aesthetics and clientele of the area projected an image of Provo as small, not metropolitan or cosmopolitan, and in some cases rural.  I’m not exactly sure how long each individual business has been in operation, but somehow walking into a store and seeing rows and rows of guns and stuffed, dead animals doesn’t scream “big city.”     

 

Of course, that’s fine if that is the image that Provo collectively wants to project.  Indeed that is the image that the city projects, as this is the first block of “Historic Provo” after the freeway. However, ironically, the south side of this same block is also home to the Covey Center for the Arts.  This attractive new facility hosts plays, musical performances, art exhibits, and is a participant in Provo’s monthly gallery stroll.  By virtue of its newness, as well as its more cosmopolitan aims, I see it as representative of the “New Provo” image.  This New Provo is characterized by an effort to be both more urban and urbane.  It’s also evident both in the rapid expansion of the Provo arts scene, as well as in opening of other businesses like Guru’s or Mode Boutique.  Unlike the places I visited earlier today, these New Provo establishments target relatively affluent clientele, college students and the highly educated, and a younger middle class demographic. 

 

I don’t think that either one of these versions of Provo is inherently better than the other.  In reality, they reveal that different groups of people, with different values, live in the city. Personally, I’m attracted to (and participate in) New Provo events and businesses, though I’m well aware that the changes these businesses represent displace and inconvenience other people, many of whom have a more legitimate claim on the city than I do.  What I think is interesting however, is that as each half of this split imagines the city they probably don’t include the opposite side in what they envision.  As New Provo groups attempt to revitalize downtown and bring in more widely appealing businesses, for example,  they will inevitably displace those they consider “less desirable.”  On the other hand, as Old Provo businesses exert their right to exist they make themselves an impediment to the completion of New Provo’s image. 

 

Right now there is more than enough space for everyone in Provo’s financial district. (“Financial district” is of course a moniker used by New Provo.)  Indeed, I imagine that the city would be happy to fill their many vacant spaces with anything, New or Old.  However, in the long-run this issue will likely become more important.  If the population continues to increase and New Provo businesses are able to expand, different people will obviously have different ideas about how downtown should be used.  This may happen in five years, or in fifty, but there are clearly conflicting values on display in the city today and they will only become more apparent as they come into greater contact.  I have no idea what will happen, but maybe that’s what it means for a town to become a city. 

Grown-Up Movies

Have you seen The Soloist? I haven’t. And I don’t plan to. And, based on the box office , most of America apparently feels similarly.

I recently read an article on MSNBC.com about how “grown-up movies” are an endangered species. Basically, it argued that kids movies, teen genre movies, raunchy R-rated comedies, etc. were replacing more serious fare like The Soloist. While some of the other films that the article cited were actually good (like State of Play) I was surprised that the author of the article would lament the supremacy of genre movies over something that seemed as piddling as The Soloist.

First, let me say that I’m a fan of “serious” grown-up movies. In recent months I’ve seen Doubt, Nothing But the Truth, Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, and many others. For the most part these films were profound and entertaining. Second, I generally agree with the article’s main point that more mature films are struggling to compete in the movie marketplace. However, I think the real problem is that a genre of serious films (a genre that apparently includes both The Soloist and State of Play) has emerged and that the defining feature of this genre is medicrity.

So lets look at The Soloist. From the moment its trailers were released the movie seemed like a disaster. It struck me as a cross between Mr. Holland’s Opus, Rain Man, and Stand and Deliever, only if all of those movies had starred Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey. What’s more, every word seemed like a cliché: guy afraid of commitment? Check. Brilliant but troubled artist? Check. Down-on-their-luck characters overcoming great odds? Check. These aren’t necessarily bad ideas by themselves, but they came off as bafflingly superficial.

The Soloist did have some things going for it. Robert Downey Jr., for example, is a capable actor and has had several of popular films recently. Jamie Foxx has also had some success and popularity (though he apparently has no idea how to choose films. Following up Ray with Stealth? Seriously?) On the other hand, this movie seems to show these actors at their worst. I’d rather watch Iron Man any day and wasn’t The Soloist the kind of movie that Robert Downey Jr. actually made fun of in Tropic Thunder? In the end, then, I think its clear that The Soloist wasn’t compelling (its release date suggests the studios also knew that).

The problem then is that if The Soloist is one of the definitive movies of the “grown-up” genre, who is going to want to see anything else from that genre? When I go to the theater (or to get a DVD) and I can either watch The Fast and Furious or Jamie Foxx running out in traffic in some movie that seems really boring, its only obvious that I’m going to choose the former. This problem is compounded by release patterns (serious movies in the fall, critically panned but commercially successful blockbusters in the summer), and the Academy Awards (which shaft movies like Wall-E or The Dark Knight seemingly because they are popular). What happens then is that good “grown-up” movies end up in the company of bad ones and none of them make money. All the while The Fast and the Furious is releasing sequel after sequel and raking in the dough.

Of course, this is a simplistic assessment of the situation. Other things, like the global financial meltdown, have also certainly contributed to Americans’ movie viewing patterns. But grouping serious movies together regardless of quality will only result in the gradual disappearance of serious movies.

Electron Deception Show Review

Electron Deception has received two show reviews.  One of these was positive and one negative.  After having been reviewed, however, I started thinking that it might be useful for us to review our shows.  After all, who knows us better than we do?   

 

Summary: So, on Monday, June 15^th we played a show at Mo’s Bar and Grill in Salt Lake City.  We were opening for Nate Baldwin and touring band Windsor Drive.  We were fairly excited because it was only our second show in Salt Lake.  Unfortunately, things quickly went downhill.  First we almost immediately had problems with the PA.  There was no one to mix the sound and since we run all our instruments through the sound system (as opposed to using amps), this was a big problem.  Not surprisingly, this problem resulted in others; since we couldn’t hear that well we didn’t play that well, which meant we had poor stage presence, which meant that the audience wasn’t that into it.   

The audience wasn’t huge (it was a Monday night after all), but they were surprisingly positive, given how off I felt we were.  The highlight of the night was probably finding out that we sold one of our new t-shirts (a yellow girl’s tank-top).  So either someone like our music, or at least liked our silk screening design.  Also, we got invited to play again, which seems like a relatively good sign.  The other highlight of the night for me was seeing Ryan’s stage presence.  I was at an unusual angle and was pointing more or less at the keyboards.  Ryan told me he didn’t think his stage presence was all that great, but at least while I was looking at him he was rocking.  

 

Conclusions: I am beginning to feel that we need to revamp our sound.  Only about half our shows sound really good (usually they are at Muse Music).  Our biggest problem is that we use a fairly non-traditional set up (digital drums and keyboard, as opposed to guitar, bass, and acoustic drums), which means that not many people know how to do a proper stage mix.  This makes it hard to improve because we can’t really control the mix.  So, I’m thinking of switching to a mixed acoustic-digital drum set.  Also, I think we’re going to try to use amps for the keyboards.  These changes will probably alter our sound considerably, but they should also make for more consistently good shows.

More Coming Soon

No new post today, but check back soon for a review of Electron Deception's recent show in Salt Lake City, an exploration of the pros and cons of commuting, and other entries.  Also, if you can't stand a day or two without some Jim/Blog, checkout the blog for Slowtrain Records.  The review of Nico Vega's album is up there.