Monthly Archives: July 2010

Kent Haruf, One of Our Finest Writers, Close to Completing a New Novel

So I’m loathe to do any literary name-dropping but in this case I think it’s worthy: Yesterday I had lunch with Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong (1999, a finalist for and should have won the National Book Award), and Eventide (2004, … Continue reading

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Rare Photos of Famous People

A friend of mine sent me this link (Thanks, Paul!), and I thought it was pretty cool, so I’m sending it along: http://www.cracktwo.com/2010/01/rare-photos-of-famous-people-125-pics.html I don’t know anything about the site, but the Dylan/Sonny & Cher pic is worth it, plus … Continue reading

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117 Degrees in Phoenix

In the parking lot of my local supermarket, I overheard a woman talking on her cellphone, saying, “It was 117 degrees when we left Phoenix!” (It was, by the way, around 75 here in Custer County where we were, and … Continue reading

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NY Times Review of "Life During Wartime"

Sounds good to me: http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/movies/23life.html?hpw=&pagewanted=2

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A New Todd Solondz film! "Life During Wartime"

To note that summertime is a wasteland of stupidfilm is an understatement, but to read in the NY Times this morning that Todd Solondz has a new film coming out, well, that puts a smile on my face. Happiness (1998) … Continue reading

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On Rick Moody's new novel, "The Four Fingers of Death"

So I’m reviewing Rick Moody’s new novel, The Four Fingers of Death, which, after a rocky start, is turning out to be a fun read. A couple quick observations: It’s 700 plus pages, as in Infinite Jest long long long. … Continue reading

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The Influence of the Beatles on Impressionable Children

Here’s Rocky Raccoon in the wild.

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Fireworks, Lightning, Stardust

At the annual fireworks show over Lake Deweese in Custer County, Colorado, a terrific lightning show unfolded behind the mountains, with constant lightning & thunder for over two hours. The storm clouds were low and above them, a perfectly clear … Continue reading

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On Custer's Penis and Sitting Bull's Bloody Arms

So I feel Richard Brautigan’s (1935-1984, R.I.P.) ghost hovering over me this cool Colorado morning, on this July 4th, while reading about a battle in Montana in 1876, perhaps a mythic, blood-stained centennial. He lived and wrote late in his … Continue reading

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Summer of the Beatles and the Caterpillars

So this summer I’ve been turning my daughter on to the Beatles, meanwhile rediscovering how great they were, taking me back. I was a child when “Let It Be” was on the AM radio airwaves and I remember it as … Continue reading

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