R Blog

The Flickfilosopher

Every once in awhile a blogger decides to take it to the next level. That is, tries to make their blog pay. Such is the case with Maryann Johanson, The Flickfilosopher. Maryann, an independent film reviewer has been my primary source of information on film for a long time. So when I discovered she had added the category of micropatron to her blog for a donation of $30 I was happy to contribute. She’s saved me that much money by warning me off of all the bad movies that glitter like shiny objects with their trailers. Plus, Maryann offers the chance for free stuff like the original cast recording of  the new musical Billy Elliot or the  Monty Python Flying Circus DVD. She reviews current releases, DVD releases and regularly posts on her blog. She ranks the films by year and has an archive of all her reviews (hundreds of them) on the site. I honestly don’t bother to check anywhere else except Rotten Tomatoes (to see, in general, what the critics think). Everyone has their own taste in films and when you find someone with similar sensibilities it saves you a lot of time. I’m actually surprised that we agree so often as I suspect that Maryann is quite young. (I also like to imagine she looks something like Scarlett Johansson). We don’t always agree. Brokeback Mountain would be an example.  Maryann raved. But I wasn't so impressed.  I have to admit the consensus on Brokeback rides with Maryann. So, if you are looking for a personal film trainer check out  The Flickfilosopher. Consider as well supporting her efforts with a small donation. You could win something.

A Reason to go to Jacksonville

Jacksonville, a cute little brick town built in gold rush days is the obligatory side trip from Ashland. The ladies like the place for its historic charm and interesting shopping. In summer the Britt Festival brings folks in in droves to see a wide range of musical concerts. A few years ago Preznit Bush visited and shut the place down resulting in a number of protester arrests. Pepperballs were fired. People were upset. Jacksonville is in a lovely setting at the end of a cul de sac in the Rogue Valley. It’s pretty much an upscale residential area. Lots of nice old houses and many more new ones built to look old. There’s an interesting museum in the old court house. Jacksonville was the county seat before Medford whisked it away. I’ve made the trek to Jacksonville a number of times over the years and I appreciate the fact that the city places nice benches along the street where I can sit and wait for shopping to end. There’s never been much in Jacksonville to interest me. I’ve peaked in on the Amish quilt store and scanned the art and handmade jewelry and made a round through the toy emporium. But yesterday I found a place on main street where I actually wanted to buy stuff.  I’d never heard of Blue Willi's. Blue Willi’s is a Danish line of casual clothes that favors natural fabrics and features indigo as a color. It’s quite high priced. Shirts at $100 plus. Sweaters in the $300 category. But in Jacksonville there’s a tiny outlet store that sells overstock items at 75-80% off. There’s a small selection but I managed to retrieve three shirts and a pair of cords from the racks (though it was appalling to find that in Denmark I have a 42 waist proving that soomething is rotten in Denmark). It’s a great little store for someone who enjoys quality but is normally too cheap to buy it. Now, a reason to go to Jacksonville.

Personal Growth

Just before I swam a half mile at the YMCA earlier this week I weighed myself and discovered that I am quite the heaviest I’ve been in many a year. I don’t really know what to do about this other than go back on raw foods and lose the friends I have left. We are taking daily walks, doing yoga, playing golf and drinking juice (like a mixture of a dozen different fruits and vegetables) twice a day while only eating enough chocolate to prevent heart disease.
I feel pretty good as I morph slowly into a pear like creature and am really not too concerned. We invested in a Tempurpedic bed which we believe can keep us from rolling together in the middle of the mattress until we reach a combined weight of 600lbs. However, there is one large problem and that would be in my pants—as in...getting into them. Specifically my funeral and wedding pants. Though there are no weddings scheduled and no funerals pending it is still important to be ready. In this regard I have, for the past fifteen years kept two nice, dark wool suits in moth balls in case of emergency. Fortunately the weddings I have attended have not required me to suit up and there hasn’t been a funeral for a good many year. So, following my weighin I decided to try on the pants to see just how tight I would have to squeeze in order to be able to make a good impression at special events. Attempting to pull the pants together, it is hard to believe that I once was so svelte and it makes me wonder if in our maturity our internal organs don’t begin to grow to amazing size increasing the span of our waists. I don’t seem to be able to see actual fat but everything is definitely larger, balloon like. Like a swelling.
I had actually planned to wear one of the aforementioned suits to a costume ball this Saturday night, a very rare social event for us since we left the upper reaches of society in Yakima, Washington in 1992. For this benefit affair, which encourage costumes (something I am loathe to consider), I had decided to go as an insurance agent with suit, dress shirt and tie. Unfortunately, it wasn’t even a close call. The pants would not connect. Linda suggested I rush the trousers downtown to the Chinese guy who does alterations in the basement of the clothing store on Main Street. I rushed down there to discover that he is not Chinese, maybe Lithuanian at most, but does have a small barking creature on his cutting table which might be Pekinese which could explain her confusion. Billy thought there could be an inch and a half of give in the trousers and this could be enough to keep the suit on standby. On standby, that is, if I can reach some point of equilibrium or even let a bit of air out of the tire.
I returned home worried about the suit jacket and vest. The jacket just barely met in front but will do if I forgo a tee shirt and hold my stomach in. The vest, which I used to enjoy donning for theater and concerts is a memory. I didn’t try my old dress shirt with the fifteen and a half inch neck. But I figure I can leave it open giving me a “so distraught he looks disheveled look.” So, boys and girls, sons and daughters, nephews and neices—enjoy your skinniness while it lasts. For the day will come when your own personal growth will lead you the land of elastic waistbands.

A Smoking Gun

From Moveon.org and the Associated Press

“This evening, the Associated Press released secret transcripts and video footage showing President Bush being personally briefed the day before Hurricane Katrina hit land. The predictions he heard were shockingly precise and accurate—including the failure of the levees. He knew exactly what was coming.
The article is a smoking gun on Bush's unpardonable failure to keep us safe. In just a few hours, the White House will be filling the airwaves with spin...”

Complete article here on Yahoo.