2005 April 15

I felt a great disturbance in the Force… as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened. What?
Revenge of the Sith.
The first time I heard that Lucas was doing the prequels, I was beside myself with joy. The first time I heard “Duel of the Fates,” I was disappointed but hopeful. The first time I saw “The Phantom Menace,” I was exhilarated but largely unsatisfied. The second time I saw “The Phantom Menace,” I started to wonder what Lucas was smoking. The third time I saw “The Phantom Menace,” I didn't – because I haven't watched it all the way through more than twice. The first time I saw “Attack of the Clones,” I was giddy but confused. The second time I saw “Attack of the Clones,” I started to question my own faith (and found the lack of it disturbing).
Episodes I & II were replete with oversights, mistakes, and generally shoddy elements (save the special effects). Close friends are disillusioned with this new Star Wars franchise beyond the point of no return. I want to love Star Wars, and I want to believe that it's still as wonderful as it once was. Unfortunately, Lucas hasn't made this easy. I'm not a Star Wars apologist, but… I can't really consider myself a fan anymore.
When I heard that there was a Darth Tater, I laughed… and the more I thought about it, I cried. Merchandising has gotten waaaaaaaaaay out of hand. The article “Despite hype, upcoming 'Star Wars' bound to blow” is pretty much spot-on. Instead of lampooning the fans, pop culture is lambasting Lucas (and rightfully so). I'd have to be stupid to swallow this for the third time, no matter how much I want to think III is going to eliminate the pains of I & II. There may be, however, a new hope:
ROTS is PG-13.
Thank the maker.

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I'm a sushi fiend. I'll take salmon sashimi over steak any day of the week – and I started to say that back when I was still living in SF. I couldn't live in any city that didn't serve up decent sushi – seriously. When we first met, Ponzi wasn't much of a sushi fan. I converted her quickly, though. She wasn't much for sashimi at first, but now she loves seared albacore and yellowtail. My favorites: salmon (duh), tobiko / masago, and yellowtail. Every once in a while, I'll go with unagi, ika, and maguro. To keep our sushi bills low, we don't eat much more than one serving apiece – with a random roll shared between us.
Today, she finally purchased sashimi-grade fish from Uwajimaya Seattle. It was really good, and just as fresh as what we would have received from a restaurant. Much cheaper, too! Ponzi got creative with the spicy tuna hand roll (opting to add a bit of lite cream cheese). Then, she presented my salmon sashimi in the most elegant fashion. I believe Ponzi has a future in creative sushi chef'ing.

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We've got a real treat for you on the show tonight – including an interview with Cory Doctorow, a conversation with Mike Torres, and a discussion with the guys from Crossfader (which was supposed to be live last week, but Comcast decided to stop working at the “right” time). BONUS: you'll also be learning a bit about TOR. It's all staring live tonight at 7PM PST, so tune in with your Media Player and swing by the chat room for a backchannel discussion with the whole Lockergnome gang!

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