John le Carre reinvented the spy genre with his 1963 novel on which this film was based. Its view of Western agents, not as infallible defenders of all that is right and moral, but as flawed and cruel agents – willing to make the same heartless sacrifices as their Eastern counter parts was shocking at the time, and still is today.

Don't expect any heroes in this film and definitely don't hold your breath for a happy ending. The novel has been named the best spy novel of all time by Publisher's Weekly, and the film adaptation of this gritty, intelligent triple agent story is beautifully and faithfully captured in crisp black in white by director Martin Ritt.

The flawless Richard Burton plays the flawed secret agent Alec Leamas who becomes involved in an elaborate plot of double crossing, triple crossing, lies and danger. To give away too much of the plot would be a disservice to those who haven't seen it. I will say that when the final scenes unravel and secrets are revealed you will be left speechless and stunned.

Our favorite le Carre character, George Smiley (see Call for the Dead, Tinker,Tailor,Soldier, Spy, and Smiley's People – all of which I have raved about repeatedly) plays a small but integral role in this film.

I know I have had a hard time convincing people my age to give anything by le Carre a try, but this classic film is a perfect place for any sceptic to start.

This piece of music from the Haskell Wexler film Medium Cool (starring Robert Forster), is brilliant and cool and down right impossible to find. Never fear, there is a clip of it on my music downloads (thanks to Jim's ingenious computer skills).

Otherwise, unless you hear the music by renting the movie (which you should rent anyway), this slick, urban western instrumental is lost in the wasteland of a forgotten film (despite Medium Cool's status as one of the most inventive and influential films of the decade, it rarely gets a mention today) and an unreleased soundtrack.

Mike Bloomfield, who is Wexler's cousin, is primarily a blues man who enjoyed a very successful career with the The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which played backup for Bob Dylan in 1967. After that he formed the seminal band Electric Flag before eventually retiring and becoming a recluse in San Fransisco.

Medium Cool was one of three soundtracks he scored, the others being Roger Corman's The Trip and Steelyard Blues.

Patrick McGoohan may have the accent of a Brit, having been raised in Ireland and England, but he was born in Astoria Queens. This fact makes me feel fallaciously closer the manly blonde. As if my being born fifty years early in a neighbourhood kind of close to where I live now were possible; and if it were, that he and I would be life long chums.

I have never seen the show that McGoohan rose to fame with, Danger Man aka Secret Agent, a show he turned down the role of 007 to have creative control on. But I am a huge fan of his cult classic series, The Prisoner, which I am looking forward to watching again, as it has been years.

He has starred in many projects since, like Braveheart and Scanners, and has had to turn down major roles like Dumbledore and Gandalf, but his role as Number 6 is the one he will always be remembered for; that and as a positively beautiful man, chiseled and rugged, only becoming more and more handsome with age.

Now adays I only see the glamorous and charming face of Diana Rigg when she graciously introduces Mystery! on PBS. Of course aging fan boys know and love her as Emma Peele, the fabulously dressed secret agent in The Avengers.

Costumer John Bates created the daring sexy fun looks for the hero, including the famous catsuit; but the character has earned its place in history not only as a significant style icon. She was also one of the first strong women action roles on television. Ironically, Rigg left the show because she was making significantly less than the men on staff; less than the camera man, she claims.

She continued on after her pivotal role, as a respected stage and film actress whose deep, luxurious voice has only grown more melodious with age.

Her daughter has carried on the family legacy and stars in the lesbian BBC miniseries Tipping the Velvet.

Do you ever have a curious craving for something you've never even tried before, or had so long ago you aren't sure it was real?

On a recent trip to Boston, we passed by J.P. Licks which sometimes features oatmeal cookie dough ice cream, a treat that I was so instantly obsessed with the idea of, it drove me nuts. Unfortunately the day was so very cold and we were on a bit of a schedule, so I didn't try it. But as I rambled on about it to my co workers, Sarafina told me about a Ben and Jerry's flavor I had to try – Oatmeal Cookie Chunk.

The next night I pitifully recalled her information to Jim, who like a husband sent to quench a pregnant wife's craving, set out to find it. (Though it was more like a husband sating his non-pregnant, whiny, and lazy wife, but who's counting).

It is truly phenomenal and I am forever in Sarafina's debt for telling me about it and Jim's for finding the last one in the case.

Cinnamon ice cream, brown sugary masses if cookie dough and small flakes of dark chocolate make for a spectacular taste sensation. If this were served in a fancy restaurant costing three times its price, I'd still be singing its praises.

I couldn't possibly come up with a better way to spend a few hours of joy than with a bouncing baby; even though every time I do, I am reminded that I don't look nearly mature enough to have one of my own, but more like a scared babysitter.

This Thanksgiving I had plenty of squirmy wormy time with one of the cutest in the whole world, my second cousin Braden, a smiley bundle of joy who delivered for hours of squealing delight.

It works out for everyone involved. While you can enjoy the smell of baby's brand new skin, the touch of soft baby hair, and the excitement of holding a new life in your arms, mommy and daddy can take a break for once and relax with some Baileys.

Baby time is also good for your muscles. After two days of baby holding I got “baby arms” – sore muscles that have made me walk around like a T-Rex and make it difficult to pull my pants up.

It's rare that we get to see many babies, but happily we're getting to the age where some friends are having or have had their own.

I always am encouraging people to make more babies for me to play with, so why not you?

The great thing about cities is that every visit brings a new experience. On a recent shopping trip to Boston for work, I revisited some familiar areas and was introduced to unexplored ones.

The day began in Cambridge with Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, a beloved local haunt that has been a landmark since 1960. Hundreds of burger combinations, salads and sandwiches fill the menu and my medium rare cheddar and guacamole (named after some sports person I can't recall) was superb.

We wandered around the Harvard Square area, hitting shops like the two story children's book mecca Curious George, the hip stationary and quirky doodads haven Black Ink, and the cool Museum of Useful Things which sells things like humane rat traps and staple free staplers.

The only dud all day was a tea shop called Dado, where the workers had gigantic chips on their shoulders and made a crappy cup of chai to boot. Avoid it and make for a Tealuxe instead.

Venturing into the shmancy area of Back Bay in the evening, we dined in style at B&G Oysters Ltd.; a snug, bustling restaurant with a huge selection of marvelous and varied mollusks and a spicy clam stew to die for. This highly rated spot is well deserving of the title Best of Boston's 2007 Seafood.

Back to Back Bay in the morning for the ridiculous and oh so fun to browse Louis, where hundred dollar fake apples sit next to custom made cards hand pressed with real gold, and a pair of Dries Van Noten fetish booties can cause one (me) to nearly flip out.

After wondering who is spending so much money when the economy is about to fall, we headed to more modest areas, including Brookline, a beautiful part of Boston I had never seen before. The quaint, old fashioned feel of the area is manifested in the adorable trolleys that criss cross the red bricked commercial area.

It was here that we wandered into Crossroads Trade, a store of “Ethnic Art Traditions of the World” which I presumed would reek of batik sack dress womanhood, but actually had great stuff, including bizarre tree ornaments (like a beaded nude Adam and Eve set) and exquisite over the top Arpilleras (three-dimensional appliqu? textiles of Latin America), my favorite of which showed Noah's Ark in vibrant colors, but cost five hundred dollars (otherwise it would be mine right now.)

At around a four hour drive away, Boston is almost too far to be convenient, but a trip there is never disappointing, and every visit is unique.

What can I say? I was all set to recommend The Perfect Spy, a serious adaptation of the John le Carre novel complete with faded gritty images of post World Wars England and accents. But the problem was, I just wasn't that wild about it. I was dragging my feet to even complete watching the series, even as it promised to get more exciting.

It got me thinking of other spy television programs I'd rather watch and instantly this guilty pleasure late night goof fest came to mind. Jim and I used to abandon ourselves to She Spies almost every night while we lived in Austin and we loved it.

Starring Species girl, the weird looking guy from older Noah Baumbach movies, a nondescript pretty black lady, and an awkward vaguely British bobbed blonde, She Spies was a total rip off of Charlie's Angels; but in my opinion (which will be greatly disputed)- much more fun.

This is the kind of show we need more of! Stuff that is entertaining, easy to watch but honestly and inexplicably, for lack of a better word, good.

There are plenty of bad shows out there that Jim in particular makes us suffer through as “guilty pleasures” like The Closer and Women's Murder Club, but the problem with these is that they seem to have missed the fact that they're fluff and they don't need to pretend to be serious drama.

The last description of Women's Murder Club said “a member receives a frightening diagnosis”. We rolled our eyes and didn't bother to watch. Republican Angie Harmon must be gagging for an Emmy.

Bad TV should just let itself be bad TV and, in turn, it can become great TV. She Spies is a prime example of this and some people must agree, because you can even buy it on DVD. (Of course Duck Tales was just released too, so it's not like DVD release is the most exclusive club).

A swordfish can grow up to 15 feet in length and 1400 pounds – the largest ever caught can be seen in this historic photo (at bottom of page). They feed on other fish and squid.

No match for man and his machines, however, the beast still ends up on our dinner plates. E-Z Marinated Swordfish is indeed easy, and what better way to honor this abundant creature of the sea than taking as little effort as possible to enjoy it?

Make this dinner into your own “Operation: Swordfish“.