I knew a man in Tennessee whose real name was John Smith. I point out that this was his real name because otherwise you would think I was disguising it. John lived in Tellico Plains and he’d been taught to trout fish by a forest ranger who was the best in the region. John became an expert himself and one day I went fishing with him because we were friends. I was no expert when it came to trout fishing. …
Animal behavior is always fascinating to me. I filmed this in Bedford County, PA beside the Juniata River. It truly did appear that the geese were embarrassed by the mallard fight and wanted to make them stop. The mallard fight went on and on and was vicious, not sporting. Of course, geese are known to fight as well, but on this occasion they tried to be the peacemakers. …
Google and others are providing us with a great variety of free tools that enhance and organize our Web experiences. The following shows how you can use Google’s free iGoogle desktop. I use Firefox as my browser and this setup works exactly the same on my company PC and on my personal Macs. I’ve numbered just a few of the key features. …
The following took place in Ooltewah, Tennessee. It is one of those stories that has never left me, although it took place sometime in the late 1960’s. …
People will either consider this movie great or stupid. Since my Myers-Briggs type is INFJ and the J stands for judging, I do have an opinion about those who will call it stupid. But I shall hold this in check. I shall also refrain from revealing too much about the story itself, since that would tend to spoil it for you when/if you see it. …
This 3-DVD set is probably best for those who think they aren’t fans of classical art and haven’t spent much time in the art museums. Presented by art historial Simon Schama, the series contains episodes for Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso and Rothko. …
Elegy (2008) might be considered a disturbing view of men, written from a woman’s perspective. If so, it is a fairly kind, if frank, perspective. The movie has a remarkably un-judgmental stance. This movie made me look up and reserve other films by director Isabel Coixet. Unfortunately they are few in number. …
It’s a mistake to say that Bobby (2006 and 111 mins) is a movie about the assassination of Robert Kennedy. Obviously it includes that, but it is really about America in the 1960’s. It’s about race and Vietnam and violence and drugs, but it also is about people trying to get along in life in ways that have nothing to do with any decade. It features a surprisingly effective blending of archival news footage and switching back and forth–as in Forest Gump only better done. …
If I could, I would slide out of bed and into the pool. Every morning at six. Then the laps. Thirty six to the mile, half an hour in the cooling flow of water, counting down the distance.
My left hand is getting better all the time. It used to start the pull too soon. The timing now is smooth and the stoke constant. It has taken years of daily swimming to accomplish this. …