Tortilla Soup at the Tavern - $3.99

For the good of the blog, and the good of mankind, I must remind myself every post need not be several pages long. For example, today's post.

This afternoon I headed over to The Tavern, mentioned previously, to enjoy the Steelers - Chargers game. While another bar in town fancies itself "The Austin Steelers Bar," I have certain issues with it and so instead settled into the cozy recesses of The Tavern.

Sitting in one spot for three hours straight can grow a little tiresome, so what better way to shake things up than by eating! It was an afternoon game; I had already eaten lunch and had dinner plans. To that end, I went with the extremely versatile cop-out dish: soup.

Actual soup not pictured

While others could possibly expound upon and endlessly delight the reader with a story of a fairly good cup of soup, I am not at that talent level...yet.

The Tavern's tortilla soup was surprisingly tasty with good flavor and spice. While maybe a touch expensive for the size of the cup, I felt warmed and satisfied. Stuff well bought.

Frankenstein: A Trouble Puppet Show - $15.00

If I know anything, I know women. So when I read the Austin Chronicle's review for a local puppet troupe's production of Frankenstein: A Trouble Puppet Show, I knew what the little lady and I would be doing Friday night.

Founded in 2004, Trouble Puppet Theater Company has defied conventional wisdom and common sense by maintaining a consistent presence as a purveyor of fine, mainly adult-geared puppet shows. Things like that simply do not happen in most places. Possibly for good reason, but that's neither here nor there.

Not sure exactly what to expect, the gf and I were charmed by the wonderful production values, the talented puppeteers and the engaging story line.

Writer-director-designer Connor Hopkins reshaped the Frankenstein story to fit his needs and to breathe new life into what is, frankly, a bit of a boring book. While perhaps not true to Shelly's text, the severed head with dangling spinal column kept alive mainly to pester Dr. Frankenstein, while clearly swiped from Robocop 2, was ingenious. Likewise, an unexpected dream sequence showcased weird and wonderful bits of surrealism. Finally, the Frankenstein monster was a terrific and terrifying (for a puppet) creation.

On the downside, several of the performances were uneven and dragged down an otherwise solid ensemble cast.

Overall, this was a unique theatrical experience that managed to be impressive while remaining intimate and entertaining. Stuff well bought.

Frankenstein: A Trouble Puppet Show ends its run at the City Theatre on Sunday.

The Changeling (Rental) - $1.50

Some day soon, I need to sit down and hash out the specific rules of SIB. Does the Stuff I Bought absolutely have to be bought that day? If it does not, can I just grab any item and begin e-pining about it? If I rent something, did I really Bought it? Though these questions remain unresolved, I bring you today's post about the oft-overlooked 1980 horror movie The Changeling.

On Saturday evening, my girlfriend and I stopped by my local video store, I Luv Video. Anyone who lives in Austin probably already knows about it, and anyone who doesn't live in Austin should move here to see what a truly great video store looks like. I have secret fantasies wherein I become enough of a regular customer to get to know the clerks; after several years of careful trust-building, they invite me to join their ranks. I then spend the rest of my days wandering the aisles of obscure, indie and cult film goodness, smug and self-satisfied. Dare to dream.

As I had picked the last several movies, the gf got the nod this time. The less said about that the better. Though now a few weeks late for Halloween, I still had a hankering for horror, so I picked up The Changeling as well, though we did not view it until tonight.

To get a feel, check out this classic trailer. What does it remind you of? Perhaps this. Awesome.

The movie begins with composer George C. Scott (best known as the curmudgeonly grandfather in Angus) and his family pushing a broken down station wagon along a snowy road. Spotting a telephone booth, Scott calls for help while his wife and daughter enjoy an idyllic, laugh-filled snowball fight. Seconds later, to pay for their care-free joy, they are crushed by an out of control semi-truck. Cue the titles.

Solid, effective opening.

From there, Scott relocates to Seattle. Hoping to clear his head, he takes up a lease in a 6,000 square foot mansion that has been uninhabited for over a decade. Nothing better for a lonely widow. Soon after his arrival he begins experiencing banging pipes, breaking windows and doors that just won't stay closed.

Saying much more is unnecessary. "George C. Scott in a haunted house." There's your movie. What makes it special is how well it handles the classic tropes of the haunted house story. Like Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House," and completely unlike the absurd 1999 movie version of that story, "The Changeling" relies on subtle touches, off camera noises and the great art of what is not seen to chill the audience. It also brought back memories of Richard Matheson's Hell House, a much less restrained, but scary little read.

For those who prefer today's popular pseudo-moral torture porn style of horror, this movie may seem dull, but the overall craftsmanship is hard to deny. A perfect example is a sequence involving Scott and a rubber ball that belonged to his deceased daughter. The sequence is not original, and the payoff scare is almost impossible not to predict, yet it is effective and creepy (like me).

Since first seeing this movie as a child, I have re-watched it every five years or so. While some of the strands of the plot were a bit worse for wear this time around (see below), it still achieves a solid atmosphere of mystery and dread.

In the end, $1.50 well spent.

Note: Clint Eastwood's current theatrical release Changeling features Angelina Jolie in the George C. Scott role. She underwent six hours of makeup each day to achieve his paunchy strong chin look.
Jolie in Full Make Up
***SPOILERS***

***NO F'REAL***

For the few who have seen this movie. Can we talk about the ending? WT FUCK?

While I never thought about it in the past, this time around the ending seemed disjointed and nonsensical. Was the Senator evil or just a victim of circumstance? Why did he have the old lady on his payroll? If the ghost could kill the cop from a few blocks away, why couldn't he handle the Senator on his own a long time ago? Why did the ghost burn down the house? Was the Senator actually in the house at the end or was he just having a vision? If so, why could Scott see him there?

I get the feeling the screenwriters meeting in the late 70s went something like this...

S1: Ok, we're nearly done! This is sure to be a classic of the moody, somber Gothic horror genre!
S2: Do you think people might get bored with that whole thoughtful melancholy coping with death thing?
S1: But it all makes sense! Scott will have tried to appease the spirit and thereby come to terms with his own loss, only to find it impossible to fully resolve the fissures death brings, the Senator will be left with the torment of his tarnished image of his father, and the Ghost will remain to alternately plead with and prey on the next inhabitant.
S2: .........What if the ghost sets the house on fire?
S1: Hmm...well, if he can do that, maybe he'll kill some folks too? That could jazz up the sagging third act!
S2: Awesome, let's go grow more facial hair!

It didn't ruin the movie, but it did cheapen it a bit.

Doctor's Appointment - $25

A slow day for commercialism, the only Stuff I Bought was a visit to my new doctor for a routine check-up. After spending the last three years under-insured, it's rather exciting to be under the safe, snug umbrella of comprehensive health insurance.

After culling recommendations from friends, I opted for Dr. Eric Lambeth as my primary care physician (or "PCP" as AETNA classifies him, as in "I'm really hurting, I need my PCP!") The Good Doctor was warm and attentive. He took time to get to know me as a first-time patient, and he provided abundant samples of my nasal spray (yes, I use nasal spray.)

While he warned me against the dangers of smoking, he allowed that, if done in moderation, I could take up a pipe. Now that's a cool doc!

My focus in law school was on health care law and policy. I could easily twist this, or virtually any post, into a weary diatribe against our current health care system. Instead, I'll focus on my personal, positive experience: a reasonable price, easy access and a receptive and amiable doctor. Stuff well bought.

Five Guys Burger & Fries - $9.17

I recently relocated from Charlottesville, VA. From its beautiful neo-classical architecture, to its completely acceptable night life, to its easy access to real cities, I would never stoop to diminish the greatness of Mr. Jefferson's town. Except when it comes to food.

Charlottesville's dining scene kinda blows. My favorite place to eat there was Wendy's. To be fair, my favorite place to eat in most every city is Wendy's, but there were almost no memorably great places to eat that were not chains. (Though for some reason they had good Thai (which after going to their website I discovered was also a chain) go figure.)

Among those chains people loved so much they pretended it was local was D.C. born burger chain Five Guys. Having lived for a good stretch of time in prime burger country, I have become somewhat of a greasy burger snob. While others would sing the praises of Five Guys to the high heavens, I found it a good, but not great burger. Hell, it wasn't even my favorite burger in Charlottesville.

Regardless, Five Guys continues its relentless spread West and has now opened a location in Austin. A fellow Wahoo and I recruited a group of people to sample the Five Guys goodness. As one of the group was quick to notice, the business model is essentially In-N-Out Burger East.

You can't help but wonder what will happen when these two old-fashioned-modern burger titans clash (likely somewhere in New Mexico).

As always at Five Guys, the burger was good, but not mind blowing, the Cajun fries were tasty, but too plentiful, and the overall meal was good, but too expensive.

All that being said, it was a delight to get to enjoy a small slice of C-Ville and as Five Guys has grown from two stores to 1,000 in six years (that sounds wrong), they must be doing something right (or illegal...same diff).

Speed-the-Plow by David Mamet - $1.99

I am generally not too concerned about the results of this month's experiment to tally my receipts. Overall, I believe I will have little difficulty living within a clearly defined budget. There is one lurking, looming obstacle to this goal: used books. They are my hillbilly heroin. I fully expect 75% of my posts to be about used books.

For today, I made a day trip to several of my favorite hot spots in search of a particular used book. As is often the case, I was unable to find what I originally wanted, but was able to compensate by purchasing numerous books I will likely never have time to read.

Among the haul, I picked up David Mamet's 1988 play "Speed-the-Plow," a tale of Hollywood intrigue. Essentially, a lower level associate brings a potential blockbuster deal to his boss only to see their potential success disrupted by the arrival of a temporary secretary (originally played by Madonna!) who sees more value in an unfilmmable literary work about the end of the world.

According to the reviews, this is "a brilliant black comedy."

According to me, it was okay.

I am fairly certain I missed out on a lot by not hearing the play actually performed. Much of the dialogue involves the two main characters saying something, repeating it, being cut off by the other, then repeating their previous line again. Here, enjoy some of Mamet at his "deftest and funniest":

G: The, what's the story? Tell me the...
F: I can tell it. No, you're right. You tell it.
G: Gimme the broad outl...
F: Yes, yes.
G. Just sketch me the broad...
F: Yes, yes, the thing, of course is...
G: Douggie, Brown, of course, the thing...
F: "A Douggie Brown picture"...
G: A Douggie Brown picture...
F: Eh? A buddy...
G: A Buddy Picture.

Are you laughing yet? Perhaps "deftest" is a nice way of saying Mamet drops fewer F-bombs in this one.

Maybe Clive Barnes is correct and these are actually "brilliant lines like a plum pudding with fruit." I'm just not sure.

Much to my surprise, there is apparently a revival currently running on Broadway starring Jeremy Piven, what looks like Craig Fergusen, and I already got bored before I found out who was playing the girl part. Though I have only seen one or two episodes of Entourage (not part of Stuff I Watch), I can see what the producers were thinking with the selection of Piven. They were thinking "What would be the most over-the-top obvious, least interesting choice we could come up with?" Bravo, gentlemen.

I will note the Old Grey Lady disagrees with my churlish assessment.

All in all, while it was only $1.99, I suspect the money would have been better used to help fund a trip to see the play performed live.

McCallum High School Football Ticket - $6.00

A few months into my freshmen year of college, one of my high school friends sent around a wistful and homesick email asking if we all missed Fall in Oklahoma: the leaves falling from the trees, crisp wind in the hair, leaning against the old green fence at Friday night football games.
We responded the only way we knew how...by mocking him relentlessly for years for that wisp of lame-ass nostalgia he sent our way.

Many years later, I know exactly what the pathetic loser meant. When Fall rolls around and the air catches a chill, my thoughts are drawn back to those Friday night lights. Not that I ever played, or even really cared too terribly much about the game. Friday night games were, and I imagine, remain a social event: a meet and greet before the night's festivities began.

For various reasons, I no longer associate with teenagers, nor do I tend to base my drinking plans around whose parents are out of town. No one I know currently lives with their parents, making it largely irrelevant.

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers in person. Despite the loss, it was a great crowd and a good time, and yet, it underlined for me again the simple joys of high school football.

To my surprise, I was able to find a co-worker who shared my (definitely sad, potentially criminal) interest in checking out our local high school team. Both of us live in McCallum School District, home of the Knights. For about 1/30th the price of my Steelers ticket, we got great seats on the 40 yard line. As we settled in, a McCallum running back took the ball 60 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game.

After that short burst of inspired play, we were treated to a solid hour and a half of what our nostalgia-grimed memories tend to forget about high school football - extremely sloppy play, comically mismatched players, and the kind of mediocre athleticism usually reserved for the C-USA.

At halftime, we found the true joy of attending McCallum football games. House Park, the stadium McCallum shares with several other schools, is only about a block away from The Tavern, a top-notch watering hole (try the Mexican White Wings). With the blessing of the old guy who tears tickets, we snuck off (totally missing the Homecoming ceremony!) to get some drinks. Returning to the game later with a belly full of Jameson to keep me warm, I was able to appreciate the joys of those Friday nights long past. It probably helped that McCallum started kicking ass, leading to a blowout and a District Co-Championship (GO KNIGHTS!).

While I don't know if I'll make it to our boys' upcoming playoff game (against the hated Hendrickson something or others), the chance to recapture some small moment of a time gone by was definitely worth six dollars, maybe even seven.

Maudie's Soft, Soggy Tacos - $9.13

My third tour of duty in Texas has gone swimmingly thus far. At least part of this is due to my new found appreciation for both Mexican and Tex-Mex food. While I used to found it mainly tolerable, now I actively seek it out. For all those who don't believe in change (and at last count you accounted for some 46% of the nation's population), I am eating proof of it.

What I have recently learned from this is, once formed, our impressions of others is slow to change. Though I've been a Tex-Mex convert for over a year now, any time a Tex-Mex restaurant is proposed for lunch, all parties quickly turn to me and say "Oh wait, he won't eat that" or "Are you sure, it's okay with you?" Yes, yes, a hundred times yes, people! While others may attempt to deny my culinary growth, the proof is in the paella.

All of this to say, today we went to eat at Maudie's. And though I have grown and expanded and embiggened my palette, I still have not acquired a taste for crappy Tex-Mex. In my two experiences, the tacos I've ordered have been disturbingly soaking wet with flavorless juices which dissolved the tortillas. I knew in my heart of hearts I should not have ordered the shredded chicken tacos again, and yet, there I was ordering them straight up. I could see it all happening in slow motion, but I was powerless to stop it.

Maudie's is an Austin tradition, and I will likely do nothing to improve my lunch time standing with this post, but soggy tacos are soggy tacos.

Verdict: While the concept of lunch in general was good, Maudie's, not so much.

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack - $32.35

As those who have had to spend time around me know, I am a Rock Band fanatic. Most people think things like "That Rock Band, it sure is fun at parties!" or "Boy, doing stuff with people is totally cool!" Not me. Rock Band is fun alone. Obscure humorist John Billings once said solitude was a good place to visit, but a poor place to stay. Might I add it's a great place to ROCK! I have spent countless hours by myself rocking hard at the little plastic drums and, over time, have developed finely tuned fake drum skills which are completely unmarketable in the real world.

Tired of feverishly awaiting the release of Rock Band 2 on PS2 (a new game system is Stuff I Have Chosen Not to Bought), I decided to plunk down for this special all-AC/DC supplement to Rock Band. And yes, I do mean special in the pejorative sense as it's only being carried by Wal-Mart. To get the hard-hitting beats of "TNT" and "Back in Black," I would have to grit my teeth and enter what Michelle Bachman would call the "Pro-America" parts of our consumer society.* Thinking about it, perhaps this is the perfect synergy for Wal-Mart: a new ad campaign featuring "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap."

I got in and out AQAP and headed home to shower and then rock. The game layout is identical to Rock Band 1 and the first Rock Band Track Pack (which I previously bought, BB (before-blog). The biggest knock is that most of AC/DC's songs are basically the same with two slight variations - normal and really fast. While the songs are fun to play, they are, by and large, not challenging on drums. In fact, this game has almost convinced me to pick up the old five-button and see what the guitar parts are like.

Though I tend to prefer to fly solo at the kit, songs like "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Highway to Hell" beg for the full band rock out with your smock out treatment. For that level of enjoyment, I consider this stuff well bought.

*Disturbingly, my first two posts involve purchases at Starbucks and Wal-Mart. I am tempted to dismantle this blog post-haste.

Iced Chai Latte - $0

For the inaugural post of Stuff I Bought (Beta), I only "quasi-bought" the stuff to which this post refers. So from the beginning the concept is broken and disregarded. Good start.

I work at an office that distributes free Starbucks cards like campus recruiters dish out credit cards. Attend a meeting? Get a Starbucks card! Your dog has heartworm? Have a Starbucks card! Receive 5 Starbucks cards in one week? Get another for good luck!

This would be ideal, if I drank coffee or liked Starbucks.

I don't want this to quickly devolve in a Starbucks rant as it has been done better many times before (particularly in Shakespeare's overlooked minor comedy "The Taming of the Brew." (see why I said I should move on?)).

In an effort to dispel pre-election jitters, I accompanied a coffee-liking co-worker to Starbucks and used a free gift-card to obtain a small Iced Chai Tea Latte. The transaction cost me nothing and I am left with about a $1.50 on my card, so if anything, I am still up.

Back in the office, I looked up the nutritional content as I had recently read an interesting article in the NY Times about calorie counting. Turns out my little cup of spiced goodness was about 180 calories.

Overall it was fine, though getting out of the office was really the best part, making the drink more a means to an end.

Verdict: Non-money, well, spent.