gsm

Brugmansia

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:39:11 GMT

The fragrance of the brugmansia fills the air this evening. It is strong and heady and marvelous.

A few new photos from the garden

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:27:32 GMT

I took a few photos in the last few days. Below are a few and there are more at flickr.

More Anna May Wong Movies and a book by Nancy Farmer

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:07:33 GMT

I watched two more movies with Anna May Wong in them on Friday. The first was Daughter of the Dragon in which Anna May Wong played the daughter of the evil Fu Manchu. Warner Oland was Fu Manchu. I enjoyed it but it was definitely more in the "B" movie realm. In Old San Francisco Anna May Wong only had a small secondary role. Dolores Costello had the lead female role as Dolores Vasquez whose family rancho above San Francisco was being threatened by the evil Chris Buckwell played by Warner Oland. Again he was playing an Asian but one passing as Caucasian. Odd. He also kept his dwarf Asian brother in a cage. Hmm again. Anna May just seemed to be an aide to Warner Oland. It was all right but again not a classic.

Also I just finished The Ear, The Eye and the Arm by Nancy Farmer. You can see a preview at google. This is a book for older children or young adults, I would say, and is a Newbery Honor Book. I thought this was a very good book. "It takes place in Zimbabwe in the year 2194." (Hm, do I actually have to quote that?) It seems to be very, very different from the current Zimbabwe. The current situation there is obviously fairly bad.

Ah well, on to another book and I still have some more Anna May Wong movies and also a few others without her but which were shown during the TCM Asian movie week.

Live Free or Die Hard

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:48:58 GMT

Just watched Live Free or Die Hard. I was entertained. Bullets, explosions, car chases and even grosser things. What can I say? Before that Next was moderately entertaining also. Ah, now I must retire for the evening.

Personality Profile

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:26:40 GMT

The appeared on one of my numerous yahoo groups, Visual DNA. The email said, "When you click on the link, a series of about 15 pictures will come up. Click on a photo in that category that appeals to you. Again 15 pictures will come up, click the one for you and move on. Just continue to keep picking."

Mine:
Mood: Sofisticat
Fun: Escape Artist
Habits: Junkie Monkey
Social: Nostalgic

Unfortunately I didn't see any way of copying the results over. Ah well.

Buku in the garden

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:20:05 GMT

Well, I thought I would post a picture of Buku in the garden today.

Piccadilly

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:50:48 GMT

Tonight I watched Piccadilly, a silent with Anna May Wong which was made in England. It was interesting and enjoyable. Actually there was one scene with a fellow eating at a restaurant table which reminded me of one large fellow in a Monty Python restaurant scene. The placards advertising a stage play at the end of the movie was definitely an odd and different way of making a point. I think I was more amused than anything else by it.

I still have three more films with Anna May Wong to watch that I recorded from TCM. They are Daughter of the Dragon, Toll of the Sea and Old San Francisco. In addition to that I have A Study In Scarlet on DVD that I still have to watch. It is a Sherlock Holmes film with Anna May Wong, although imdb suggests that it is quite different from both the original novel or any other Sherlock Holmes they've seen. We shall see.

Shanghai Express

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:35:56 GMT

Just watched Shanghai Express, a 1932 black and white film with Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong and Warner Oland. My primary reason for watching it was Anna May Wong but I enjoyed this film. It was well worth watching. It is too bad that Anna May Wong did not get the role of O-Lan in The Good Earth.

The Middleman

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:20:52 GMT

So is anyone other than me watching The Middleman? You may see further details in Wikipedia. This show has interesting dialogue and also Sensei Ping was just picked up at the J.R. Bob Dobbs International Airport. And then they encounter many men in Mexican Lucha Libre wrestler masks. Ooh, be afraid. Beware of the stain of mole.

And finally at the Dr. Alfred Necessiter Hospital . . .

Worms

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:36:56 GMT

There is an interesting article in the New York Times today, The Worms Turns. It is about introducing "good" worms back into the human body. Seemingly some of them can help the body, can decrease the problems associated with inflammatory bowel disease (I.B.D.) and other illnesses. It basically says, I think, that possibly in getting rid of worms that live in the human body, maybe we got rid of a few too many. That makes sense to me. It is an interesting article and if you have the time a worthwhile read, in my opinion.

Books and music - Diana Wynne Jones, new Niyaz CD & Judee Sill

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:16:31 GMT

I decided to read Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones. Portions of Howl's Moving Castle is on Google books. I have the DVD's for both Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Air. Both of these books were enjoyable. Then I went back and watched Howl's Moving Castle again. The book is better. I like both movies. They're entertaining and fun but I wish more of the book was in the movie. Admittedly, that frequently is the case.

Also I thought I should mention the new CD, Nine Heavens by Niyaz. I loved the first one and definitely like this one. It is a two CD release with the second CD containing acoustic versions of the songs. I think I like the acoustic one better but will be forced to listen to both CDs again. Here's the Niyaz web site and a review at SF GATE. The little man likes it.

I also feel compelled to mention Judee Sill. I have her album Heart Food and intend to get her other albums. Heart Food is an interestingly religious album. There's a torrent download here. One of these days I'll actually try a torrent download. I have Bit Torrent somewhere on my computer. Here's a Duster review of the album. It's an interesting CD and I have to listen to the words again. MOG has some interesting comments on Sill. I totally do not understand Lester Jonze other than he must have poor taste, IMHO.

In Bruges

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:48:43 GMT

I just watched In Bruges and I enjoyed it. I thought it was rather strange and has some very interesting dialogue. However I must admit that I've been to Bruges several times and enjoyed being there.

Be Awake

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:29:02 GMT

I am frequently annoyed by people blaming the world. A long time ago I went to a meeting held by a group of followers of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky and even though it was just one meeting I came away with one thing in particular. Most people are not, on a consistent basis, awake. From The Gurdjieff-Ouspensky System, "Gurdjieff's teachings were based on the idea of developing self-consciousness, of being "Awake" and aware in everything one does, rather than being "Asleep" as is the case of most of humanity." I was reminded of this yesterday when I pointed out to someone that the reason that a piece of software wasn't working right was because they were invoking it in an incorrect directory. Instead of saying, "Whoops, I wasn't paying enough attention. I'll do it again in the right area.", their response was, "The software shouldn't allow me to do that." Now many people will agree with this person. Unfortunately, my first reaction is, "You're really being stupid. Just pay attention." Stupid isn't probably the right or the most appreciated term. However people really don't pay attention. I'm in the group that doesn't always pay attention but I try to not always blame the world and I do regularly try to pay more attention to what is going on around me. Instead of passing a law to protect me from myself I think it would be a better thing for me to simply pay more attention. Why are there so many laws restricting the use of fireworks? They exist because there are a number of people who do not pay attention and hurt or kill themselves or others or property. Why are there so many rules related to driving? Why are there so many signs advising people of their environment? Low bridge ahead. Many times even that doesn't help. There are many people who don't pay attention. Many people are not awake. I'm not espousing all of the tenets of the Gurdjieff-Ouspensky system but this is a good one. It is a good one for me and for everyone else. Be awake.

Some people will say that many brilliant ideas come about when people aren't paying attention, when they are day dreaming. Let's be honest folk. What percentage of the population is going to come up with that great and brilliant idea when they are not paying attention versus what percentage are going to walk into a light pole?

Maybe this is a bit morbid but actually I have a feeling that many grave stones could contain the epitaph, "I wasn't paying attention". It may have been at that moment when two cars collided. It may have been spread over a long period of time when one might have recognized that their body wasn't really appreciating the amount and type of food that was going into it. Unfortunately, that one is one that I am aware of but not attempting to modify on a regular basis. One really needs to be awake most, hm, maybe all of the time, unless you really are in bed and sleeping. Oh, I do actually try to pay attention in my dreams though. Interesting stuff, that. So any way, this is too long but you might want to consider this.

Be awake.

Harmony Festival at night - 6 June 2008

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:18:44 GMT

I arrived early at the Grace Pavilion in order to get a standing position up front and center. The hall was set up in a most colorful fashion.

First in the evening was The Kusun Ensemble. A few of the photos I should have changed to a higher speed. Not sure they would have come out, considering the lighting, but I should have tried. Very entertaining dancers though.

Then came George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. If you can't get your funk on at a George Clinton and PFunk concert, it just isn't going to happen. This was the first time I'd gone to see George Clinton and it was worth the late night and the drive. Unfortunately I left a little (I think) before the end of the concert. It was just before 2 AM and I was tired.

Harmony Festival Daytime - 6 June 2008

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:53:11 GMT

I posted a few daytime photos from Harmony Festival from 6 June 2008.

Broken Blossoms

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:18:23 GMT

Broken Blossoms is a pretty amazing and depressing film. TCM is showing a series of films over a period of days in Asian Images in Films and I'm looking forward to watching a number of them.

Lost

Fri, 30 May 2008 06:04:05 GMT

I bet Jeremy Bentham comes back to life.

Niles Canyon Railway and Pleasanton Ridge

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:19:41 GMT

I took a few photos today. You can see one group of Niles Canyon Railway and the second group from Pleasanton Ridge Recreational Park. Buku and I walked for about an hour in the park. We were both glad to get back to the car.

Steams trains

and in the woods.

An interesting article and vidoe -> "A Superhighway to Bliss"

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:12:11 GMT

Not too sure how many of you will find this interesting but I thought I would pass it on. If you can't see the video below you can go here. There was an article about it in the New York Times today called A Superhighway to Bliss

Books

Sun, 25 May 2008 02:46:19 GMT

A few things I've read lately are Blood Engines by T. A. Pratt, Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov and To the Bright and Shining Sun by James Lee Burke. I enjoyed Blood Engines and will probably read the rest of the series as it comes out. I would not say that it was great but it was fun. Heart of a Dog was interesting especially since it was written in 1925 and had a dog becoming a man in post-revolution Russia. I'm waiting for The Master and Margarita which is also by Mikhail Bulgakov. I think I will probably find it interesting and enjoyable also. Now normally in the past I have enjoyed books by James Lee Burke. I must admit that I was not very entertained by To the Bright and Shining Sun. I finished it but it was a bit of an effort. It was depressing with few redeeming qualities. I have enjoyed depressing books in the past but this one seemed rather unrelenting with very few bright spots or maybe it just wasn't devastating enough. Maybe that was what was desired but I didn't really enjoy it. I find it interesting that it has four out of five stars on Amazon. Ah, only one person reviewed it. I must put in my two cents, I do believe.

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson

Sat, 24 May 2008 05:37:25 GMT

Or maybe you might like something a little more laid back

Duffy - Mercy

Sat, 24 May 2008 04:08:50 GMT

So have you heard Duffy? Here's Mercy, a couple of videos of same.
So which version do you like better?

Seemingly I cannot embed the the US version. But you can follow that link back there.

If you like that you might check out Warwick Avenue by Duffy

Tideland

Fri, 23 May 2008 05:17:18 GMT

Tideland is a strange movie. I was entertained. One wonders if parts of it are questionable. Terry Gilliam directed it.

There are some days I wish I could dream myself far, far away.

Schrödinger's Cat:

Tue, 20 May 2008 03:27:20 GMT

"All right the cat's alive. Let's go to dinner."

"Oxen are in my bed!
Many, many oxen!"

-- The Big Bang Theory

Superhero team meme

Sat, 17 May 2008 22:05:36 GMT

As observed via replyhazy

Superhero Team Quiz

LiveJournal Username

Your Primary Super Power

Cape?

Identitiy

Origin

Location of Head Quarters

Primary Costume/Uniform Colors

Why are you a Superhero?

Your Superheroic Codename

The veteran grim member of the team

ssprince

The sexist and crass but annoyingly effective one

johnnyeponymous

The bright-eyed novice or sidekick

spacecrab

The teammate that will eventually go evil or insan

kate_schaefer

The inept yet determined/reoccurring supervillain

fringefaan

The sinister Arch-Villain and team's greatest foe

fredcritter

The perky civilian that keeps getting kidnapped

sleigh

How often does your team actually 'save the day'?

94%

This Fun Quiz created by Shannon at BlogQuiz.Net

Scorpio Horoscope at DailyHoroscopes.Biz