Weather: Low clouds and lotsa scattered showers as far as you can see. The fire season is officially a "wash-out" this year. Good! After the month-long smoke of August 2003, I enjoy the change. (The house painter is coming NEXT week.)
Wildlife: A squirrel was chasing a raven across the lawn here at the college. The bird got bored with that game and flew away.
Charity Alert: The Animal Rescue Site : Feed an Animal in Need
In the Community: The Hockaday Museum of Art is doing TWO events tonight -- an auction, plus staying open for "Fun Friday." I'm going to shoot pictures all over the valley!
Hockaday Museum of Art - Prime visual arts resource in Flathead Valley of Northwest Montana.
Media Watch: I finished a book about J.R.R. Tolkien's experiences just before and after World War I. Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth by John Garth. It went on a bit about details within The Book of Lost Tales, but was otherwise well-paced. I learned much more about the origins of his writings and mythological interests.
One of the very first passages I ever read by Tolkien was in the introduction to Lord of the Rings:
One has indeed personally to come under the shadow of war to feel fully its oppression; but as the years go by it seems now often forgotten that to be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than to be involved in 1939 and the following years. By 1918, all but one of my close friends were dead.
This book has Tolkien's calligraphic imprint on the cover, and is published by Houghton-Mifflin. The very personal information inside leads me to believe that it is countenanced by Christopher Tolkien and his family.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Charity Alert: Do this FIRST! The Hunger Site : Give Food for Free to Hungry People in the World
Wildlife: It's been easier to see deer beside the road on the way to work, as Autumn approaches. They were scarce all summer.
Weather: Pink morning, heavy clouds, but no rain so far -- will the house painter show up?
Media Watch: SciFi Network showed a misbegotten remake of I Married A Monster From Outer Space. The 1958 original was dull, but this humorless cowflop was even worse. Congrats to the late actors Susan Cabot and Thomas Tryon for doing their level best in the 50's as "...this hack sitting next to the camera wouldn't let us change a line," to quote Tryon, who retired from acting ten years later to write popular novels. (The movie based on Tryon's best-selling book The Other was shown a few days earlier on FLIX Network. )
I saw part of Pay It Forward with Helen Hunt, Diane Lane, Hayley Jo Osment, and some other good actors in a slightly better-than-average TV movie from 2001. A thunderstorm interrupted the satellite signal, and we couldn't see how it ended.
Wildlife: It's been easier to see deer beside the road on the way to work, as Autumn approaches. They were scarce all summer.
Weather: Pink morning, heavy clouds, but no rain so far -- will the house painter show up?
Media Watch: SciFi Network showed a misbegotten remake of I Married A Monster From Outer Space. The 1958 original was dull, but this humorless cowflop was even worse. Congrats to the late actors Susan Cabot and Thomas Tryon for doing their level best in the 50's as "...this hack sitting next to the camera wouldn't let us change a line," to quote Tryon, who retired from acting ten years later to write popular novels. (The movie based on Tryon's best-selling book The Other was shown a few days earlier on FLIX Network. )
I saw part of Pay It Forward with Helen Hunt, Diane Lane, Hayley Jo Osment, and some other good actors in a slightly better-than-average TV movie from 2001. A thunderstorm interrupted the satellite signal, and we couldn't see how it ended.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Back from Vacation! Did you miss me? Since nobody reads this blog as yet, consider that a joke. Synopsis:
We drove across Montana, North Dakota, and into Northern Minnesota along Highway 2 -- a long freakin' stretch that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
We stayed in Crookston, Minnesota for a few days doing family research. Many thanks to the Polk County Historical Museum and the Polk County Records Department for their enthusiastic assistance!
The trip down to Minneapolis/St. Paul wasn't near as nice, but we snagged almost two dozen Bollywood videos and CDs in Northern Minneapolis along a row of (East) Indian markets. The rest of the day generally sucked, except for a strangely delightful trip to the Mall of America that night.
Our last stop in Minnesota was the Spam Museum on our way out of there -- fun place.
All through South Dakota on the way back, we encountered groups of motorcycles coming from and going to the Sturgis Rally in the Black Hills. It spread a whole new layer of interest over the kitchy tourist traps on our route -- from the Corn Palace to Devil's Tower.
It took a day and a half of hard, fast driving to get home from Devil's Tower, but the cats were waiting for us!
Weather: Rainy and dark -- our house painter is supposed to start today.
Wildlife: The birds are very unhappy about our removing the feeders on the deck and the eaves for repainting.
Charity Alert: The Hunger Site : Give Food for Free to Hungry People in the World
In the Community: I had to videotape at the college, and pack up a traveling show at the art museum before I was even unpacked myself!
Media Watch: Thanks to the Weather Channel for all the help on the road! Gawd! Some of those Bollywood DVDs have subtitles that lag by minutes relative to the dialog.
We drove across Montana, North Dakota, and into Northern Minnesota along Highway 2 -- a long freakin' stretch that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
We stayed in Crookston, Minnesota for a few days doing family research. Many thanks to the Polk County Historical Museum and the Polk County Records Department for their enthusiastic assistance!
The trip down to Minneapolis/St. Paul wasn't near as nice, but we snagged almost two dozen Bollywood videos and CDs in Northern Minneapolis along a row of (East) Indian markets. The rest of the day generally sucked, except for a strangely delightful trip to the Mall of America that night.
Our last stop in Minnesota was the Spam Museum on our way out of there -- fun place.
All through South Dakota on the way back, we encountered groups of motorcycles coming from and going to the Sturgis Rally in the Black Hills. It spread a whole new layer of interest over the kitchy tourist traps on our route -- from the Corn Palace to Devil's Tower.
It took a day and a half of hard, fast driving to get home from Devil's Tower, but the cats were waiting for us!
Weather: Rainy and dark -- our house painter is supposed to start today.
Wildlife: The birds are very unhappy about our removing the feeders on the deck and the eaves for repainting.
Charity Alert: The Hunger Site : Give Food for Free to Hungry People in the World
In the Community: I had to videotape at the college, and pack up a traveling show at the art museum before I was even unpacked myself!
Media Watch: Thanks to the Weather Channel for all the help on the road! Gawd! Some of those Bollywood DVDs have subtitles that lag by minutes relative to the dialog.
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