Cold!

It is really cold outside. I wish I could stay in bed. But gotta go to work. 

Casa Pollastro

 A pretty good restaurant. 

Big Sleep Redux

The other day I was watching one of my favorite movies, The Big Sleep. I've seen this movie probably twenty times over the past 35 years since I first saw it when I was in high school on some grainy VHS tape. 

But something was different about this viewing and I couldn't quite place what the difference was. For example there was a scene in the D.A.'s office with Bogart's character, several cops and the District Attorney. They laid out the progress of the notoriously complicated case. I had no memory of this scene. Their conversation helped shed light on the convoluted plot and for the first time I began to grasp the basic plot line. I began to think I had slept through this scene over the years. How had I missed it?

I also picked up other little details that I hadn't noticed before like Marlowe discovering an intruder had entered through a kitchen window. Little things, little details. Then near the end of the film, Regan's wife looked different than I remembered. Keep in mind it hadn't been that long ago since I had seen this movie. I'm pretty sure I had seen it in the last year. I wondered if I was experiencing early on-set symptoms of dementia or forgetfulness. 

And when the movie was over I seemed to remember there had been a restaurant scene with a conversation between Bacall and Bogart filled with innuendo. But that scene was not in the movie I just watched. I began to think maybe I had mixed this scene up with another Bogart-Bacall movie. 

The next day, after reading some articles online about The Big Sleep I discovered the truth.

There are two versions of this movie! 

The movie was filmed in 1944 but they held off on release in favor of war movies. They did release the initial film (the version I watched the other day) to military personnel serving overseas. But then news broke about the real life romantic affair between Bogart and Bacall. To take advantage of the public's fascination of the affair the studio re-shot and added some scenes that highlighted the romance between the two fictional characters. They eliminated the scene in the D.A.'s office as being too lengthy and "boring." Regan’s wife was re-cast because the original actress was unavailable for re-shots. 

So I wasn’t going mad. I had never seen the original cut before. My DVD copy has both versions, one on each side of the disc. I had just haphazardly put the DVD in the player not realizing there were two versions. 

So which version is better? Well, overall I’d say the 1946 theatrical cut is a better film. But, the original ‘45 cut is actually easier to follow. But it does lack some cracking scenes and banter between Bogart and Bacall. Personally, I’d like to see a combined version. Keep all scenes that don’t contradict the story or cause continuity issues. Keep the D.A. office scene. It is expository but it helps explain what’s going on. I’ll need to re-watch the ‘46 version again to see which Regan wife actress was a better fit. And I would keep the little scenes of Marlowe searching Geiger’s house and discovering the open kitchen window. I liked those little details.

Both versions are great. I’m just glad my confusion wasn’t due to losing my mind.

Wildness

I picked up this copy of The Practice of the Wild by Gary Snyder at the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco a few years ago. I have been re-reading it the past few weeks as it brings me a modicum of peace during chaotic times. 

Oh!

 This was not staged. 

Rise

 Two days later had soufflés at Rise 

Drivin to Dinner

 Driving to my wife’s birthday dinner 

Wake up Cat

 She wants me to wake up 

Accolades

Saturday was a big day for us as Ava got a Superior One Rating at her first ever high school choir competition. And Jackson was accepted to the aerospace engineering program at the University of Texas. 

Presentation

 Presented today 

With Friends Like These…

The other day my “friends” came to support me before Super Bowl weekend dressed in what they say are the alternate uniforms of the KC Chiefs. Jerks all of them! Go Chiefs! 

Gotcha

Last night we celebrated this light in our lives. She wanted to eat at Olive Garden and see Sonic 3. 

 

Lifters

The Lifters by Dave Eggers was written for 10-12 year olds. It took me awhile to become invested. But by the end there was a lot of hope infused with the story and we can use a lot of hope these days. I do think the story transitioned rather abruptly. But not a bad read. Not one of my favorite Egger’s books. But not bad. 

This Machine

In honor of Woody Guthrie and in recognition that the fascists are indeed taking over things as we speak. 

Lolas

 Lola also missing my wife. 

Theena

Athena not happy Mom is at a conference and she’s stuck with me. 

Record Diving

Yesterday I did some record diving at Good Records in Dallas. I found one of my favorite releases of 2024. Nite Owls by JD McPherson. Splatter vinyl, autographed sleeve, and a gate fold cover. This is a great record, one of the best rock and roll albums of the 21st century!

 

Luka Gone

 Mavs just traded Luka. Wow. 

Eggs

 

Shoe

Some see an empty tissue box. Others see one half of a pair of shoes! 

Stalker

 When you try to sleep in…

Flu

 

Sick in bed with flu. At least there was a Dylan documentary on PBS.  

Yep

 

The Socks Again

 The socks are undefeated. 

The Socks

 

They, the socks of good fortune bequeathed to me in the 19th year of the 21st century by Denver Stone of Wellington Park, have slumbered since February 11, 2024. This morning they are called upon again in an abundance of need. Very much like The Horn of Gondor, fashioned by Vorondil from a horn of the Kine of Araw, and passed to his descendants, last carried by Boromir. The horn is sounded. The beacons are lit!

There's Only One Noon Yeah

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was dubious about reading the first book of Rob Bell's Where'd You Park Your Spaceship?: Welcome to Firdus. Rob Bell is now writing science fiction? But, his works have impacted me so much over the years that I gave him the benefit of the doubt and dove in. And it was fantastic.

Literally a few days after I finished his follow up, Book 2: There's Only One Noon Yeah was announced. I put it on my Christmas list. Started reading it a couple of weeks ago, slowly so I could truly enjoy it. Again, I was a bit dubious. Surely Rob Bell would not strike SciFi gold again? 

But oh man, I loved this book as well. Just hits you so hard. I almost want to go back and read Book 1 again even though I just read it a few months ago. Rarely do books capture me like that. 

This is a prequel of sorts, actually a concurrent story giving the back story of a major character who only drops in near the last third of Book One. Poignant and powerful, words I used to describe Book One. I use those same words for Book 2. Great stuff. 

new policies

2025 requires new policies and behaviors.

The news is not really the news. It is simply an outrage machine. 

I am limiting my content viewing.

I am not trying to isolate myself from the realities of the horribleness of what is happening with our government these days.

I am simply not allowing the toxicity to poison my mentality or my soul. 

I am not going to just keep my head down. But I will be smarter and more efficient when I do engage.

I must. Or will I will walk into dark paths of thought. 

Instead, I must walk toward the light.  

Struggles and False Realities

 

 

I came across an article this week (which I will not link to) that featured the younger brother of Dave Eggers who was featured prominently in Egger's breakout novel, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. The article did not cast Dave Eggers in the most positive light. Egger's younger brother featured in the novel, Toph Eggers, has been struggling with depression and other issues and is currently estranged from his brother. 

Something in the way the article was presented didn't ring true. I did a few minutes of online research and found that the author of the article has long been obsessed with Dave Eggers. He has a website that details pretty much every move Eggers makes in life, including the most inane. He has been accused of stalking and has been the subject of restraining orders. He obviously made no attempt at journalistic neutrality and took advantage of a vulnerable man for a hit piece. I'm surprised that the national magazine in which the article appeared would give him a job, much less a platform for such an irresponsible hitpiece.

The major takeaway for me is that the lives of those we look up to is often not as glamorous as it seems. I've always admired Dave Eggers. His books are great. He runs a non-profit tutoring center, which I have visited in San Francisco and find inspiring. He founded and operates an independent publishing house. He's married to a fellow novelist who edits a quarterly to which I subscribe. He speaks at literary events all over the world. He interviews important intellectuals and leaders. It looks like the dream life. 

But like everyone, his life isn't without substantial challenges and unlike us, his challenges are often in the public eye. This is one of the unfortunate trade-offs of celebrity. 

His sister took her own life. His younger brother apparently struggles with mental health issues and is estranged from the family. The subject of one of his most popular non-fiction works later became abusive which casts a negative shadow over a great book. Eggers is tracked by a stalker who claims to be a journalist. 

I am still a big fan of Dave Eggers. But I am reminded that even our "heroes" have to contend with the realities of life. We need to value our own lives and not compare ourselves to the false realities we often create for those we admire. Comparison can lead us down dark paths. Everyone we meet are facing struggles. This is something to keep in mind when we cast judgment. It is something to keep in mind when we cast judgment on our own lives that don't seem to match up to our heroes.

Days of Yore

 Me and my sister in the olden days 

Bo

Saw a Bo Jackson jersey in the wild the other day. Obviously I don’t approve of the Raiders. But Bo gets a pass. 

Wake Up Call

 This is often my view when I try to sleep in. 

7

Last night the Kansas City Chiefs made the AFC Championship game for the seventh straight year. I don’t take this for granted. For the first 45 years of my life they only made one. 1993. And truly, I didn’t think I’d see them make another one. Then came Mahomes and Reid. 

Underground

I was touched to receive Dostoevsky's Notes From The Underground from a student yesterday. I've only read excerpts and I remember it being quite dark. Not sure why this student gave me a copy as a gift but I'll take a look. I like Dostoevsky.

Sunrise

There was a very nice sunrise on the way to work yesterday morning. 

2024 Reads

 

I was thinking over the books I read in 2024 which I posted yesterday.

Some of my favorite reads of last year...

The Marches by Rory Stewart: Poignant and fascinating look at a walk across England.

Montmarte - Paris's Village of Art and Sin by John Baxter. Baxter is always a fun, entertaining read.

Bewilderment by Richard Powers. Powers work is stunning and at the time I found it highly relatable. 

The Nutmeg of Consolation by Patrick O'Brian. The Aubrey-Maturin series is always great.

Green Earth by Kim Stanley Robinson. A re-working and compilation of Robinson's Science in the Capital Trilogy. I found this work fascinating and timely.

Where'd You Park Your Spaceship? Book One, Welcome to Firdus by Rob Bell. The most pleasant surprise of the lot. A powerful and funny read. I'm currently reading Book Two of the series.

Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson. Excellent fiction about pre-historic humans. A surprising page turner. 

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin. I found this work heart wrenching and at the end, hopeful.

Books Read in 2024

 

Fellowship

Just finished re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring. So good. The movies, as great as they are, pale in comparison. They almost seem like a cliff notes version compared to the depth of story telling in the books. That's true of most movie adaptations of great works. And the movies are great! But nothing tops reading the story in book form in this case.

Place Setting

 Yeah, why my place at the table? 

No Name

Rounding out my top 3 favorite albums of 2024 was Jack White’s surprise release, No Name. 

No Name was not announced in advance of its release. Shoppers at Jack White’s Third Man Records one day in July found unlabeled white vinyl LPs slipped into their shopping bags without explanation.  

Word quickly spread and soon fans were encouraged to rip the album wherever they could. I found one on Reddit. Then it was announced a small number of now labeled records of No Name would be released to select record stores around the country. Alas, I still have yet to procure a vinyl copy as the two or three record stores I frequent sell out as soon as they get it. 

But eventually No Name was released on streaming platforms. And it is fantastic. Old school rock and roll that shakes the roof. I’m happy to say I got tickets to Jack’s show in May in Dallas. Can’t wait. 

And honestly, I had a lot of fun searching out the music, zipping it over to mp3 files to float over to my iTunes. I even had to upload fan created album art, just like the old days. Things are almost too easy these days. Suffice it to say, this album rocks and rocks hard. 

Dylan Movie

I was dubious about the new Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. But it was pretty good. 

(Photo: taken outside the concert venue where we saw Dylan live in March 2022.) 

Another snow day

 Another snow day so time for some LOTR

Snow Day

 Current road conditions in North Texas. No school today! 

18!

 

Ever Was

My second favorite album that came out in 2024 was As It Ever Was So It Will Be Again by The Decemberists. My wife and I actually saw The Decemberists in concert six weeks before the album was released so we heard many of these songs live first. This is an excellent record. It was finally released while I was in Kansas City for a couple of weeks. I remember the first listen as I drove through my old neighborhoods. 

Freewheelin’

Today would have been my Dad's 73rd birthday. I visited his grave yesterday and shared a Mexican Coke with him. I also thought the occasion was a good excuse to buy a record in his honor. So I bought one of his (and mine) favorite artist's most famous albums. 

By the way, I finally replaced my speaker wires this week. When setting up my turntable a few months ago I had cannibalized some old cheap wire from a portable stereo system on hand. A few days ago I replaced these cheap wires with some 16 gauge wire and let me tell you, the difference was immediate. Amazing the difference in sound quality!

Steak

Went to get fine steak for the boy’s 18th birthday. Lately he wants that rather than presents. 

 

Nomad

I finally got around to watching Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin. This documentary film was directed and stars Werner Herzog as he traces the life journey of his friend and sometimes collaborator, Bruce Chatwin. 

The film is a spiritual exercise in the pursuit of nomadism. Werner Herzog always provides gravitas whenever he is on camera. Seeing him with Chatwin’s rucksack, a gift Chatwin gave to Herzog near the end of Chatwin’s life is extraordinary. 

I’ve been a fan of Bruce Chatwin for a long time. I used his Songlines as one of the sources for a paper I wrote in grad school about the historic conflict between the sedentary and nomadic peoples of history. 

I’ve re-read Songlines, Why Am I Here and Patagonia several times each. Chatwin’s life is always a good reminder to go outside, walk about, travel and see the adventure in life. I write in a Chatwin inspired moleskine notebook every day. 

The film is enigmatic and mercurial much like the subject. It is a nice, reflective piece of art and I enjoyed it very much.