Wistfulvistas Reviews

The Dream — a poem by C. M. Joserlin

cleggy — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 05:14:19 +0000

[This is a brilliant piece of work that remains unpublished as far as I know. When I first discovered it, I corresponded with the author who gave his permission for it to be posted. It appeared on a few other sites on the net as well. I recently discovered that it no longer seemed to be anywhere to be found. It deserves to be Available and here it is. -Ed ]


     THE DREAM     (c) 1991     by C. M. Joserlin ("Raven")
                     raven@solaria.sol.net

Friend, when you and I were younger, and the world was strange and vast,
How our eager hearts would hunger for the legends of the past:
Dreams of swords and spears uplifted, gleaming armor in the sun,
Streams of banners bravely flying where the battle had begun.
Oh, to see the truth triumphant, setting Right ahead of Might,
Hear the gentle judgments afterward, at Court by candlelight,
Or the revelry and laughter while the merry minstrels sing
Of Heorot Hall with Grendel gone, or Camelot in Spring.

     We have joined in joy and sadness with each hero in his plight,
     Shared the fine inspired madness of La Mancha's woeful knight;
     Parents little know the path they chart for children when they bring
     All the stories, songs, and sagas about Camelot in Spring.

How those visions filled our childhood, strengthened us as nothing could,
Put our world in moral order, set our standard of the good;
For the lessons that we heeded, shining from the printed page,
Were the virtues that were needed to bring on the Golden Age.
But perhaps our elders mocked our dreams of dragons and their hoards,
So for lack of worthy foes we packed away our magic swords;
Then our schools and jobs distracted us with all the work they bring,
And no more we thought of Heorot, or Camelot in Spring.

     Bid farewell to bold adventures and our comrades of the mind,
     To the Wizards wise and subtle, and the Ladies fair and kind,
     To the Knights of the Round Table, and the Fellows of the Ring;
     Farewell Narnia and Middle-Earth and Camelot in Spring.

But when danger came to challenge us, and fear cried, "hide or flee,"
What compelled us to embrace the threat, and not the coward's plea?
Was it that we found the courage to confront it on our own,
Or had help from him of Heorot, who fought the troll alone?
And the day we faced injustice, hypocrites who held truth caged,
Then we showed our true upbringing when our indignation raged,
Saying, "THIS is not the right way, THIS would not have pleased the King
Who set justice at the Table Round, at Camelot in Spring!"

     And we've mourned for other dreamers who had followed the same star,
     And who died before they ever knew if truth would win the war;
     But their names still live within us, and in legend they will ring
     Along with those of Heorot and Camelot in Spring.

What though now the world grows older, and our castles fade away?
Still our dreams can make us bolder, bear our standards through the fray,
Still the quest for honor bids us battle lies and unjust laws;
Still the memory of heroes gives us comrades in our cause --
Beowulf and mighty Arthur, they knew what the battle cost,
And their songs may lend us courage when we feel alone and lost.
Even in the darkest Winter, we can raise our voice to sing
Of the vision... of the glory... that was Camelot in Spring.

     What if we should be forgotten, all our efforts go in vain,
     Hopes and plans die misbegotten, with but insults for our pain?
     What if no-one hears our story?  Still, they'll know us when they sing
     Of all those who dreamed the glory that was Camelot in Spring.

September Book of the Month: The China Garden

Fiona — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 21:47:00 +0000

A classic, mystical coming of age story, The China Garden by Liz Berry avoids the irksome clichés prevalent in its genre. It follows Clare, a young woman recently uprooted from London and dropped deep in the country, as she fights to save the home she has only just found, and discovers her soul mate, her destiny, and herself.

The is no pretense of a damsel in distress scenario, Clare is a strong protagonist, but she does not seem to need to prove this to the reader, as the heroines of so many books that are more propaganda piece than story do.

The China Garden is also a romance, and here again avoids the usual problems. Although it is Clare’s story, Mark, her love interest, is a far cry from the non-entity Disney prince charming, and the illustration of their mutual infatuation goes hand in hand with a tribute to the beauty of loving, symbiotic partnership.

Magical, soulful, and intelligent, The China Garden is the perfect young adult romance, and can easily be enjoyed by older readers as well.

Gin Sushi

Fiona — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:37:10 +0000

Given its uniqueness and narrow ethnic origin, it is impressive how widely spread and adapted sushi has become. In the states it can be found nearly everywhere in various forms, from the close cousin of Russian roulette that is the roadside sushi booth, to the lawyer-approved cooked version in the supermarket refrigerator.

It seems impossible to do sushi wrong in any non-health-related way. That is until one has tasted it done right. Gin Sushi has all the classics, such as rainbow rolls and California rolls, and several more obscure creations. All of them are fresh and flavorful.

Along with the standard uncooked fish, there are cooked shellfish dishes including rich, creamy dynamite. Appetizers include salted soybeans and soft, seasoned seaweed.

Not all options will appeal to everyone. Some people balk at the idea of eating eel, or find its natural teriyaki-esk flavor too strong, while others will find a few items too spicy. There is nothing on the menu, however, that is not an exquisite specimen of whatever it is.

Gin Sushi is best experienced in a group, so that each member can sample a wider range of things. Checklist menus allow for easy group ordering. I give it five stars out of five.

The Monrovian

Fiona — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:43:45 +0000

The Monrovian can be described simply as a restaurant, with no preceding qualifiers. If more specificity is required, it is one of the thousands of American diners that run into one so easily in one’s memory.

It has established itself as a local favorite with its reasonable prices and sizeable menu, which emphasizes the deep-fried classics, but includes sandwiches and other lighter options. There is no official particular specialty, but breakfast is the nearest thing to one in effect.

The Monrovian does have atmosphere on its side. It is itself cheerfully old-fashioned and wholesome, and is set in the midst of Old Town Monrovia, a town that positively oozes this same sentiment, making for a dining experience that harkens back to a time that may never have existed, but that most people think they can or wish they could remember.

Despite its conventionality and consequential forgetability, it would border on unfair to call the quality of the food mediocre, so I give it three and a half stars out of five.

Recommend this page to:

Tokyo Lobby

Fiona — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:35:18 +0000

Subdued lighting and dark wooden furniture carry with them, for some untold, mystical reason, the promise of excellent food.

Tokyo Lobby builds on this atmosphere with a promisingly vast menu of sushi, tempura, and other Japanese delights. The prices that accompany them seem only natural given the classy feel of one’s surroundings.

Apart from the sushi, which is served in traditionally sized rolls, the portions well exceed expectations, especially the “boats,” enormous assortments designed for groups but able to feed even more people than the menu recommends them for. This is fortunate, because all other attributes of the food are disappointing.

The tempura and various sauce-smothered animal parts are greasy and flavorless. The sushi is just par and, as previously mentioned, does not have the quantity-to-money ratio on its side that the inferior dishes do. Part of the reason the boats feed more people that they appear to is that even the hardiest appetite could not last long in battle against such armies of oil.

The light of the sun, if it is still shining, or the openness of the sky if it is not, is like a breath of life upon emerging from darkness of Tokyo Lobby, which slips almost imperceptibly during the meal from quaintly cozy to oppressively claustrophobic.

In acknowledgement of the impressive array of passable traditional sushi and the absence of anything dangerous or instantly repulsive, I give it two stars out of five.

Hurry Curry of Tokyo

Fiona — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:31:12 +0000

When Americans think of curry, we invariably think of India, and of accompanying naan bread and tandoori chicken. But curry is also a fast-food staple of Japan. Although far from a fast food restaurant in price, quality, and atmosphere, Hurry Curry of Tokyo specializes in the best of Japanese-style curry.

There are many varieties including chicken, beef, pork, and many seafood and vegetarian options, all available in hot, medium, and mild. The sauces are rich and flavorful, and escape from the machine-made soup tradition of small, processed, perfectly cubical ingredients. They are instead tangibly fresh in flavor and texture.

The mild version carries just enough of a kick to keep with the spirit of the place, and every curry dish is served with rice, but for those with more delicate palates there is an equally large selection of pastas.

The appetizer menu alone is fairly impressive, and includes perfectly seasoned croquette and traditional Japanese salted soybeans. The only dessert is green tea ice cream, but those who try it will not find it disappointing. I give it five stars out of five.

Orean Health Express

Fiona — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:00:41 +0000

For vegetarians and vegans who tire of finding one or two available options in each restaurant they visit when they are lucky, Orean Health Express is the perfect place to go for a little variety.

Along with high quality meatless imitations of American fast food favorites, the menu includes original vegetarian dishes such as the African Tostada, similar to the Mexican version but with black-eyed peas instead of pinto beans and a unique African salsa.

The fries are thick, not too greasy, and never burnt. There is also a Mexican menu, a small breakfast menu, and a variety of desserts including soy ice cream. Instead of traditional soft drinks there are several flavors of “natural soda,” which is very flavorful, but served with so much ice that there is hardly any of it.

Orean Health Express is primarily a drive-thru. There is no indoor seating and very little outdoors. No meat is served whatsoever, so it is well suited to vegetarian purists, less so to groups of people with varying tastes and lifestyles, but it is everything it attempts to be, so I give it four stars out of four.

Zankou Chicken

Fiona — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:04:44 +0000

There is not quite enough competition in the market of Lebanese-inspired fast food to label one example of it “average,” but “par” will do just as well.

Zankou’s falafels, arguably the best thing on the small, simple menu, are better then most, but even they cannot escape the all-pervasive dryness of the place.

The chicken, Zankou’s professed specialty, is as good as fresh rotisserie chicken inherently is, but no more so. Little is added to it but excessive salt. The hummus is only fair, but the garlic sauce can give flavor and moisture to the chicken if one requests extra.

There are also equally parched steak options, and the steak, chicken, and falafels are also available as wraps. Everything is accompanied by pickled turnips, which, although not suitable for all palates, are good for what they are.

For a similar style of food of a much higher quality, Daphne’s Greek Café would be the way to go, but its prices also differ from Zankou’s accordingly. For an alternative to fast food hamburgers within the same price range, Zankou Chicken does well enough, and I give it three stars out of five.

Movie Review of Nancy Drew

heather — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:25:22 +0000

This is a review of Nancy Drew.
Previews do not prepare you for the fear you will feel but the film itself is not to blame.
This believable mixture of mystery and every day life is shown by the loveable sleuth everybody knows as Nancy Drew. Well represented by comedic, recognizable and just plain good at what she does Emma Roberts, this young girl with a talent for detective work is given every opportunity to solve a mystery after she has promised her dad she will hang up the magnifying glass while in New York. Finally she gives up trying to be a normal teen and solves the mystery to help a single mother and her child.

Well cast, the film is well scripted, well directed, well preformed, and well done.

Daphne’s Greek Cafe

Fiona — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 05:08:10 +0000

Halfway between sit-down and fast food, Daphne’s serves top of the line Greek food in a casual atmosphere. The kebabs are fresh and substantial, and the gyro exemplifies the full potential for flavor of the right blend of beef and lamb.

Of the two sides that accompany most of the items on the menu, the rice pilaf, although good in its own right, is overshadowed by the Greek salad, thick with olives, vinegar, and feta cheese.

The falafels are decent, but because they are flat instead of spherical, they have too much surface area, which has a negative effect on their texture as a whole. The calamari, on the other hand, is the ideal texture, solid but not rubbery, and is cooked in just the right amount of batter.

There are several Greek sauces including authentic classic hummus, which can cause one to make short work of large stacks of pita, and on which there need be no improvement. Baklava is the only dessert available, but it makes for a highly enjoyable experience as long as there are napkins readily available.

Although Daphne’s’ prices are more sit-down than fast food, so are its portions and quality, and I give it four and a half stars out of five.