What I watched: "My Bodyguard"

The recent appearance of Scott Bakula on the season (and quite possibly the series) finale of "Chuck" set off a bout of nostalgia in me, prompting me to rent the film debut of "Chuck" cast member Adam Baldwin. He isn't one of the Baldwin brothers (Alec, Stephen, William), but you may recognize him as Jayne from "Firefly."

He debuted way back in 1980 as Ricky Linderman in the film "My Bodyguard" (not to be confused with "The Bodyguard," which I hated). The movie also features Chris Makepeace, a gangly and adorable Joan Cusack and budding teen heartthrob Matt Dillon.

Tormented by Moody (Dillon) and his group of bullies, Clifford (Makepeace) hires Linderman to be his bodyguard. Linderman, troubled and misunderstood, helps Clifford but doesn't want to be friends. In true buddy-film fashion, the two do become friends, along with a group of misfits that includes an uncredited Jennifer Beals.

Although there are predictable moments in the movie, it never becomes trite. It's sweet without becoming saccharine. And it's fun and funny without becoming cheesy. If they made it today, it would probably have to be an independent film in order to keep it the way it is. I hope no one decides it should be remade with Hayden Panettiere and Zac Efron.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. If you watched it long ago, watch it again. It holds up despite it being nearly 30 years old.

In short, I love this movie. It was a perfect way to end a stressful week.

Happy May Day!

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Don't you just love Ogden Nash?
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Chicken soup for the actual body

My experiment in cooking continues this week, starting with a roast chicken and vegetables Sunday night. Simple, easy, tasty dishes are perfect for me, because (1) I'm a lazy cook, (2) bland is boring and (3) I'm a lazy cook.

The recipe (once again from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy) calls for carrots, onions and potatoes to roast alongside the chicken. A one-pot meal is an extra plus. I added a beet and some parsnips (left over from my Steak with Root Vegetables experiment). It's a tasty meal and ends up looking like you spent a lot of time slaving away in the kitchen. I think it would be a good meal to cook to impress friends -- simple and yummy, with that touch of a Sunday dinner at Mom's house.

The best part is that with just two people eating, there's plenty left over to make soup. My attempt at chicken stock involved putting the chicken in the slow cooker overnight, then picking it apart to get off all the good meat and using the liquid to make a broth. It wasn't great soup, but it was pretty good for a first attempt with homemade stock. To the broth and meat, I added carrots, celery, onions, potatoes and a healthy portion of herbs (sage, parsley, thyme) and some Creole seasoning. (I don't care what anyone else thinks, that stuff is awesome.)

There was enough soup for two dinners, which meant I didn't have to cook while playing Florence Nightingale.

"Hey, Pammeey, what's on the menu tonight?" you ask. Tonight, I attempt Soy Salmon with Noodles. I have to look at the recipe again because I'm pretty sure you serve it with ice-cold green beans. Um, no. I've not eaten ice-cold green beans since I was a kid. And that was only because I had to sit there until I took three bites. It's part of the reason I shun canned vegetables* as an adult.

*Canned beans like kidney, black, pinto, Garbanzo and cannellini don't count. Canned green beans and peas are strictly off my menu.

Call me Florence Nightingale

The S.O. underwent orthopedic surgery today to repair his broken pinkie. It took longer than originally planned because there were so many little pieces, his doc said. They placed pins, but the pins wouldn't hold, so a piece of bone from the S.O.'s wrist had to be grafted in to hold things together.

The upside is this cute picture of the S.O. in pre-op.

The downside is the pain blocker they gave him pre-op wore off about 12 hours before they thought it would, and he has some severe pain. Thank goodness for strong meds.

Here's the S.O.'s new paw:


I played nurse for the S.O. a few years ago when he had to have some work done on his nose (no, not awful plastic surgery). He's only slightly less whiny this time. He's lucky I love him.

What I saw: Bumper Sticker edition

"Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels."

-- Faith Whittlesey