Category Archives: books/film

"Avatar" as Metaphor for the Fantasy Craze

So a year ago it seemed every acquaintance I bumped into asked the same thing, “Have you seen Avatar yet?” With chagrin I’d admit that, no, actually I had not, any minute now though, I can’t wait. They would frown. … Continue reading

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"127 Hours" in Theaters Now, But Not Everyone in Utah Loves Aron Ralston

Last summer I stayed a few days in Green River, Utah, at the River Terrace Inn, a cool hotel right on the river, with a pool and hut tub, plus great birding: Scott’s Orioles, Western Tanagers, and Bullock’s Orioles, all … Continue reading

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Sneak Peak at Susan Orlean's new book

So in the shameless-namedropping category I have to dish that this last week I was in the company of Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief (1998) and many others, not to mention being a terrific writer for The New Yorker, … 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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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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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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