July 18, 2009
July 17, 2009
Flying to Denver
But here I am. Looking out at that other plane going somewhere else.
Is the photo good enough to see that old CO logo on the tail of the plane behind that plane?
On to thw Queen City of the Plains,
July 13, 2009
July 12, 2009
Grand Torino
Doreen and I watched Grand Torino this afternoon. We have had it in house for a while (netflix) but have not been in the mood for it.
The movie is very, very good. Hard to watch on a number of different levels (racial, social, religious) but it draws you into a world that you (or we, at least) have no familiarity with.
One quibble - Construction work in Detroit? Not now.
I recommend it highly.
(and you need to listen to the end to hear Clint singing the title song. I think the last time he sang was in Paint Your Wagon)
The movie is very, very good. Hard to watch on a number of different levels (racial, social, religious) but it draws you into a world that you (or we, at least) have no familiarity with.
One quibble - Construction work in Detroit? Not now.
I recommend it highly.
(and you need to listen to the end to hear Clint singing the title song. I think the last time he sang was in Paint Your Wagon)
July 11, 2009
Golden Gate Jumpers
398 – Bridge to Nowhere: a Map of Golden Gate Jumpers « Strange Maps
Brother Chas lived in San Francisco a while back. He always said that more people jump off the bay side than the ocean side because "They all want to catch a glimpse of heaven before they die"
Brother Chas lived in San Francisco a while back. He always said that more people jump off the bay side than the ocean side because "They all want to catch a glimpse of heaven before they die"
42nd Street
Doreen mentioned this morning that she would sure like to see 42nd Street, a musical that was playing at Miller Theatre in Hermann Park.
I told her I would love to as well, and it was too bad that the tickets were sold out.
But is is a free outdoor show, so of course the tickets weren't sold out. So sad to be me.
Doreen works with the guy who runs the guy who runs the facility at Miller, and they do each other favors. So she called him up, and we had covered seat tickets (All tickets to Miller Theatre are free. Sometimes they are easy to get, sometimes not so easy) waiting for us when we showed up.
I saw two people that I knew at the show, amazingly enough, Doreen saw nobody!
It was really a lot of fun. You have not lived until you have seen 20 people tap dancing to We're in the Money on stage!
Oh, and Loretta Swit played the lead! She looks good, but she is 71 years old! Holy Mackerel!
I told her I would love to as well, and it was too bad that the tickets were sold out.
But is is a free outdoor show, so of course the tickets weren't sold out. So sad to be me.
Doreen works with the guy who runs the guy who runs the facility at Miller, and they do each other favors. So she called him up, and we had covered seat tickets (All tickets to Miller Theatre are free. Sometimes they are easy to get, sometimes not so easy) waiting for us when we showed up.
I saw two people that I knew at the show, amazingly enough, Doreen saw nobody!
It was really a lot of fun. You have not lived until you have seen 20 people tap dancing to We're in the Money on stage!
Oh, and Loretta Swit played the lead! She looks good, but she is 71 years old! Holy Mackerel!
July 6, 2009
July 5, 2009
Matt and Ducks
As I mention below, my old Geocities website is being shut down. I am moving some files to my Harold Stanford domain.
Harold Standford was a Texan famous during the Texas War of Independence. I will write more about him later.
In the meantime, I submit this for your entertainment.
Harold Standford was a Texan famous during the Texas War of Independence. I will write more about him later.
In the meantime, I submit this for your entertainment.
July 4, 2009
The Grand Tour
IN 2000, Doreen and I ran away from home for almost four months.
We blogged about it before we knew what blogging was.
The website I used (Geocities) is shutting down, so I have to move all the stories and photos. I will be using Blogger to link to the new site. You can click here and I will eventually have everything there.
You can also click here to see the original site, until it shuts down in September sometime.
We blogged about it before we knew what blogging was.
The website I used (Geocities) is shutting down, so I have to move all the stories and photos. I will be using Blogger to link to the new site. You can click here and I will eventually have everything there.
You can also click here to see the original site, until it shuts down in September sometime.
June 30, 2009
June 25, 2009
June 20, 2009
Swan Lake
Last night Doreen and I were invited to attend the Houston Ballet's most recent production of Swan Lake. It got really good reviews, so when Eddie invited us to go with him and Charles, Doreen eagerly accepted.
I, on the other hand, was not so impressed.
But the whole thing got me thinking about time, cultural literacy, and opportunity costs.
We live in a shared world, and within your cohort there is an expectation of common experiences. For example, if someone says "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" you would be expected to reply "than a rich man to get into heaven"
Or with some of my friends, if you say "It was inevitable:" you will hear back "the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love"
The point being, that we use this common heritage, this cultural literacy as a sort of shorthand in our communications.
So where do you acquire such commonality, and what should it all include? Many people say that Swan Lake is the best ballet for dancers. It is certainly not a ballet where the dancers just stand around. But what importance is it to have attended the ballet? To see the four little signets dancing with hands clasped together? To see the evil Rothbart trick the good prince Siegfried with the beautiful Odelle?
Or is it more important to know that in Russia, when the communists were in charge that the ending was changed so that the swan (Odette) did NOT die and she and the prince lived happily ever after? Does that tell us more about communism or about the way the ballet was originally written?
In spite of my reluctance to attend this ballet, I enjoyed it tremendously. I have always enjoyed the music. Tchaikovsky is one of my favorites, and the theme you think of when you think of Swan Lake is really beautiful.
I am not one to cry at Operas (though I have teared up while watching movies on airplanes) but I must admit that I got chills the first time the Prince saw Odette, and then the evil Rothbart and his evil Black Swans come flying by.
(A brief aside about the music, which is related to the whole cultural literacy thing. I cannot listen to the theme from Swan Lake (click and then listen at about 33 second) without thinking of West Side Story (click and listen at about 42 seconds. Did Leo life from Pyotr? I think so)
SO the question is, do we go to things like this to have gone to them and to gain the shared experience, or do we go to them to enjoy the three hours there?
And that can't be answered unless you think about the opportunity cost. In this case I must admit the opportunity case was very low. We had no other plans, as I have been traveling for quite some time. (I have not had a full weekend at home for over a month) So I was giving up a quiet evening with a nice home cooked meal and a bottle of wine for this ballet.
In this case, I believe it was worth it.
And I will never trust anyone named Rothbart again.
I, on the other hand, was not so impressed.
But the whole thing got me thinking about time, cultural literacy, and opportunity costs.
We live in a shared world, and within your cohort there is an expectation of common experiences. For example, if someone says "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" you would be expected to reply "than a rich man to get into heaven"
Or with some of my friends, if you say "It was inevitable:" you will hear back "the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love"
The point being, that we use this common heritage, this cultural literacy as a sort of shorthand in our communications.
So where do you acquire such commonality, and what should it all include? Many people say that Swan Lake is the best ballet for dancers. It is certainly not a ballet where the dancers just stand around. But what importance is it to have attended the ballet? To see the four little signets dancing with hands clasped together? To see the evil Rothbart trick the good prince Siegfried with the beautiful Odelle?
Or is it more important to know that in Russia, when the communists were in charge that the ending was changed so that the swan (Odette) did NOT die and she and the prince lived happily ever after? Does that tell us more about communism or about the way the ballet was originally written?
In spite of my reluctance to attend this ballet, I enjoyed it tremendously. I have always enjoyed the music. Tchaikovsky is one of my favorites, and the theme you think of when you think of Swan Lake is really beautiful.
I am not one to cry at Operas (though I have teared up while watching movies on airplanes) but I must admit that I got chills the first time the Prince saw Odette, and then the evil Rothbart and his evil Black Swans come flying by.
(A brief aside about the music, which is related to the whole cultural literacy thing. I cannot listen to the theme from Swan Lake (click and then listen at about 33 second) without thinking of West Side Story (click and listen at about 42 seconds. Did Leo life from Pyotr? I think so)
SO the question is, do we go to things like this to have gone to them and to gain the shared experience, or do we go to them to enjoy the three hours there?
And that can't be answered unless you think about the opportunity cost. In this case I must admit the opportunity case was very low. We had no other plans, as I have been traveling for quite some time. (I have not had a full weekend at home for over a month) So I was giving up a quiet evening with a nice home cooked meal and a bottle of wine for this ballet.
In this case, I believe it was worth it.
And I will never trust anyone named Rothbart again.
June 17, 2009
June 16, 2009
June 15, 2009
Summertime
It is almost 9:00 PM. The temperature is 86 degrees, and the relative humidity is 63%. (from our Mighty Weather Station)
This is the best time of year in Houston. The air is so thick that you can almost see it. The sun has set, but you can still see the light from tomorrow's sun in the sky. It is cool enough (only 86!) to sit on the porch until the mosquitoes drive you in. And since we have had no rain in weeks there are few mosquitoes.
The airconditioners hum and the neighbors all say "hi" when they walk by.
Summer in Houston. Summer on the Gulf Coast.
What a great time.
This is the best time of year in Houston. The air is so thick that you can almost see it. The sun has set, but you can still see the light from tomorrow's sun in the sky. It is cool enough (only 86!) to sit on the porch until the mosquitoes drive you in. And since we have had no rain in weeks there are few mosquitoes.
The airconditioners hum and the neighbors all say "hi" when they walk by.
Summer in Houston. Summer on the Gulf Coast.
What a great time.
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