You gotta go you gotta go. We have all faced this dilemma and have pooped where we never thought we would poop. Rather a bad reaction to Mexican food in Cancun or with Portuguese chicken in Toronto. Hopefully not caught on CCTV. But a groundskeeper at my course told me he started his shift early one morning and discovered a huge human “dump” on the practice putting greens! A definite attempt at soiling the life of golfers. Vulgar yet a funny socio-economic statement.
“My Life as A Golf Marshall” : Tales From the Edge :THE HOOKERS ( Not Slicers)
I asked the starter at my club what was the weirdest thing he had seen. Apparently two men brought hookers into their golf cart. The hookers had their green fees paid for but were not golfing. However on a few occasion the men with their lady friends went into the woods looking for their balls which their hookers obliged them with!
RKS Films: “Without Milk”: Why I Love Greek Cinema: 2021 Toronto Greek International Film Festival
Unfortunately, the Festival was rather dropped on me days before it was live. A whole host of Greek films by Greek filmmakers in Greece and throughout the world. I had only hours to chip away at a meaty selection of modern Greek films. Now what does a “Greek Film” mean. If you are of Greek ancestry whether you were born outside of Greece you are Greek in your heart. I bulllshit you not. I have been married to a Greek lady for over 40 years and travelled to Greece since I was 11 years old. If you have any Greek blood in you are Greek! I am not Greek by birth but by circumstances I am Greek. I just prepared Greek stuffed vegetables this week-end and may the Greek Archbishop of Toronto strike me down if I do not attend Greek Orthodox services at Easter and have lamb and a complete range of Greek desserts from Serrano bakery in Toronto and wines imported into Toronto from Kolonaki Wines! Hint….Moschofilero with your Greek lamb preferably a whole Ontario Greek spring lamb!
Sorry for getting off track here. “Without Milk” is a unique Greek short dealing with a screenwriter Ilia dealing with Mr. Tasos a film producer. It would appear as the screenwriter has a gem that the producer wants to make into a film. The sense of optimism of Ilia diminishes as the producer suggests more and more changes that have an artistic work descending into a production verging on pornography.
How far will Ilia go to get his screenplay produced. Will he drop his pants as requested by Mr. Tasos? Humiliation and power in the film industry.
“Without Milk” is part of the Greek International Film Festival of Toronto that concludes this evening. However as there are Greek film festivals throughout the globe keep an eye open for it.
You can view the website at https://gifft.ca/
You can see the 2015 film here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o9N4jVHIRE&t=26s
Directed by Thordoris Vournas.
“My Life as a Golf Marshall”: Tales from the Edge: KOREAN WAR VETERAN LOSES HIS LEG
One golfer told me when he was a teen golfing with his brother the brother hit a massive drive hitting a golfer in the back that sent the poor man violently sprawling into the creek and his prosthetic leg also came off. Not a great way to treat a war vet.
“My Life as a Golf Marshall” : Strange Stories from the Edge: GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF US
A starter at my course and formerly a Marshall related an interesting story to me in the days when he was marshalling. There were four individuals on the golf course praying on a bridge. This spot is a dangerous one as one is caught in a potential crossfire of balls. He alerted them to the danger of being hit by a golf ball informing them it could be a lethal hit. They refused to move saying that God would take of them. Blind faith?
Greek International Film Festival Toronto: “Beauty”
Thanos Liberopolous has crafted a very cutting short called “Beauty”. One might find it amusing or like me entirely depressing. Set in modern day Greece a single mother deals with her daughter Kally and her son Poppy who are so addicted to social media they have lost touch with reality however stark and unpleasant it may be.
Poppy is addicted to his computer and pornography. Kally fancies herself a YouTube sensation. Both are incapable of any meaningful conversation with their mother and they are lost souls to the digital world. I venture to say Poppy and Kally are lost souls and losers who will never make it in the digital world. In fact most likely they will be destroyed by it.
This is a frightening take on the destructive and alienating world of social media where people talk into a social media void rather than directly with family. From a personal perspective I recall over the span of years going with my corporate law group for our “holiday meal” in December with my two colleagues being more engrossed with their Blackberries than in conversing with each other. Perhaps you have seen it too.
The firm’s name “Beauty” is very cutting and an ugly look at the destructive nature of social media. It is also very sad.
Liberopolous has crafted a shredding look at Kally’s hallucination of what reality is. If she could admit it would be very ugly.
Part of the Greek International Film Festival of Toronto running October 1-3. For tickets and information see https://gifft.ca/
You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/570898612
“My Life as a Golf Marshall”: Stories From the Edge :THE NAKED STONED GOLFER
This little gem was told to me by a starter at my golf course I marshall at. A very stoned golfer ventured out on the course. He was last seen stripping down to his underwear and leaving his clothes and golf clubs behind off he went into the woods. The police were called and took his clothes. What became of the golfer is unknown.
RKS Wine: Paul Mas: Can He Deliver Yet Again?
At $13.95 one can be surprised and delighted at least by the Paul Mas Viognier we recently tried.
Can he deliver with a Rousanne?
It has a pale gold colour.
On the nose a solid blast of peach, apricot, pineapple and honey.
On the palate there is a certain grittiness and traction. This is no flimsy wine but one with body and presence. It has a good underlying acidity which is gentle and rather begs for some seafood particularly shellfish or a chicken stroganoff. Something creamy! There is apricot, marmalade and pineapple on the palate. $13.95 you say? Cheap and cheerful? Not really as a polite term for cheap wine. This goes beyond that and is a true find at a low price. You can find a treasure from southern France. This is one of them.
From the La Forge Vineyard in the Aude Valley on the edge of the Montane Noire.
Drink by the end of 2022.
(Paul Mas Single Vineyard Reserve Marsanne 2018, IGP Pays d”Oc, $13.95, Paul Mas, Peznas, France, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 462457, 750 mL, 13%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 91/100).
“My Life as a Golf Marshall”: True Stories from the Edge : THE FISHERMAN:
I was marshalling and there were two foursomes of thirty somethings playing their annual tournament. I told them my spotting someone fishing on the 4th hole. One of the golfer’s eye’s lit up and he said I have to show you something. He unzips his golf bag and shows me his mini fishing rod. Then he excitedly shows me a picture of him and a smallmouth bass he caught at a golf course out of the city. He then asked if there were fish on the 12 th hole. I replied if he was lucky perhaps goldfish.
RKS Wine :Douro is great but what about the Alentejano?
Let’s face in. The spotlight for international wine lovers in Portugal has been the Douro region about an hour by train from Porto to Douro wine country. Of course, even better is taking a cruise along the Douro River over to wine country. Porto was a bit rough on the edges a decade ago but it has been rejuvenated of late and unfortunately swamped by tourists particularly cruise ships so you really must escape from Porto’s centre to avoid the crush of the cruise ship passengers. As Barcelona suffered the crush with La Ramblas an artisanal centre in the 1970’s morphed into a gaudy and cheap walk for the masses of cruise ship passengers so too will be the fate of Porto. It’s waterfront is crammed with tourists I hate to say this but on my last media trip to Porto I stayed at the Sheraton out in the “business district” which seemed a more authentic area and I even managed to find a couple of local restaurants where I was the only non-Portuguese diner. I think my sardines and salad with a glass of wine was 6 Euros.
I have become increasingly impressed with the wines from the Alentejo region of Portugal which is the biggest wine region in Portugal. And its red wines are not afraid of having Alicante Bouschet in their blend which can add a warm almost creamy nature to wines it is used in. The wines from Alentejo often have “international grapes” in their blend which can make some interesting wines. For example the Quinta do Quetzal has Syrah in its blend. At $16.95 it is not exactly bargain basement but is moderately priced and I’ll guess has more oomph to it that Niagara red wines in that price point.
On the nose this quasi-purplish wine has a forceful presence of blackberry, black cherry, Santa Rosa plums and raspberry cream filling. It is warning you that it’s going to full bodied but I’ve been fooled by the nose more than a few times that can’t translate into the palate. So on the palate? There are definitely tannins to the wine not overwhelming it but giving it a firm structure. There is raspberry jam, black cherry preserves, bits of black licorice, blueberries, some coconut and a nice slab of freshly baked cherry pie. It has a moderately long finish. It will improve in the bottle and cruise nicely into 2025.Beautifully made the wine has aged 12 months in French oak casks.
A blend of Alicante Bouschet, Syrah and Aragonez.
It would suit Portuguese ox filet. Or getting domestic, grilled beef or Prime Rib Roast beef with Yorkshire Pudding!
Try the magic of Alicante Bouschet! There is more to Portuguese wines than those made in the Douro!
(Quinta do Quetzal Guadalupe Wine Maker’s Selection Red 2018, Quinta do Quetzal, Vila de Frades, Portugal, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 408138, 750 mL, 14.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 94/100).
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