The Storm Over Everest.

Here is a link to a cool documentary courtesy of PBS. Click on the part that says "watch the full program online" to the right. I watched it last night and it's about the Mt. Everest disaster in 1996. The Krakauer Pulitzer-winning book "Into Thin Air" deals with this subject.

I think it will probably only be available for a short time, and it's about 1 and 30 mins long, if I'm guessing, but it's interesting. So get it while it's hot, or cold. Some of the interviewees have no fingers and one guy is missing a hand.

For me, it would not be the climb itself or the thin air that would scare me, but the cold. I wouldn't want to 1) die and 2) I'd like to keep my fingers and toes.

But now you can climb to the top of Everest from your computer screen. It's been fascinating, especially since they found Mallory's body--mostly preserved since the 1920s. Weird, huh? (Image courtesy of NASA).

Book Review: The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris

Click here for my review of The Naked Ape. I am reviewing for Blogcritics now, which is very cool.

Book Review: Curious Incident...

Here is my review of this Mark Haddon novel that was just "eh". It's another example of writers creating an over the top character that isn't really relatable, just weird--and weirdness in and of itself isn't interesting. It's far more difficult to create effective subtlety, yet subtlety is always overlooked in favor of "over the top silly and quirky".

Just to give an example, when Pacino was filming the first Godfather picture, the studio executives didn't like his performance because it was quiet and understated, and it wasn't until he blew the brains out of those guys in the restaurant that they finally decided to keep him (they were thinking of maybe replacing him with Robert Redford). And when people speak of Anthony Hopkins, they always think of him as the Hannibal Lecter character, when I think he was much better in "Nixon", "The Remains of the Day", and even when he played C.S. Lewis in "Shadowlands". Not that he is bad in "The Silence of the Lambs", but it's just a more obvious, over the top role than some of the other films I mentioned.

Gena Rowlands also should have won an Oscar for her performance in "Another Woman"--yet because her role was more internal and subtle, an actress is more likely to win for something more extreme, like Charlize Theron in "Monster" where she screams and shouts a lot. Also, when a beautiful actress is made to gain weight and look ugly, that is always a plus.

Dan has argued that Martin Landau's character in "Crimes & Misdemeanors" is far scarier than Hannibal Lecter because he's a realistic villain that you're more likely to come in contact with in the real world. Yes, Ted Bundys and Jeffery Dahmers do exist, but the point is they are far more rare. It's far more challenging to create a believable character like the one in the Woody Allen film--the trailer you can watch here:

Aliens, (life after) Death & Other Fun Stuff!

In light of Dan's interview with Brad Steiger, I thought I would talk a bit about my experience with myths and aliens. While I know the majority of those claiming to be "abducted" by aliens is just made up quackery, I don't really find it all that unbelievable that there is most likely some life out there, more advanced than we are. Do I think they are impregnating women and making hybrids? No, probably not.

I also think it's fascinating to wonder if something like Bigfoot does exist. Supposedly, if it does exist, it's a very reclusive species and there are only a few of them left. Yet I can understand the question: if they are really out there, then don't you think they might have been discovered already? Wondering is part of the fun of it. Anyhow, here is the famous Bigfoot film where supposedly it was caught. The reason we know it is not a gorilla/ape is by the way it is walking and also the way it turns its head. And yes, it very well could be a man in a costume.



When I was in college the T.V. show "X Files" was very big. I think it was a great show, albeit there were many fluff episodes, but at its best it was very creepy and one that has since developed a loyal following. The idea of the U.S. government keeping all this secret is fascinating, yet if everyone knows about Area 51 then how can it really be a secret? Here is a clip from a film called "Fire in the Sky" that I watched while in college. This scared the shit out me. Not because it's overly "gory", but it allowed me to at least wonder about the myth. After I watched the film that night, I was sleeping in my dorm room and my foot hit the electric plug where some Christmas lights were half pulled out. So I awoke to lights flickering and I thought the aliens were coming to get me. (You can laugh but it's fun to get scared sometimes). I also knew someone who claimed to have been abducted by aliens, but I'm not sure I believe this person, yet I might believe that this person believes it. Anyway, here is a clip from that film. The guy wakes to the inside of a ship and then the aliens come and get him. Enjoy and don't get too creeped out! (It's more funny now than anything).



I also had a friend who claimed to have ghosts living in the basement of her house. I really wanted to believe it because it made for good, scary discussions. Yet I majored in science so some skepticism is always healthy.

Judy Garland - Minnie from Trinidad.

This is a fun song in the Judy Garland movie Ziegfeld Girl, which also stars Lana Turner and Jimmy Stewart. Just listen to it and it will be stuck in your head. It's also quite the impressive set towards the end.

Book Pick For May: Dubliners.

Here's my pick. And Unlike Finnegan's Wake, one does not need to be drunk or a pretentious pseudo-intellectual to think it's "brilliant" (in other words Dubliners is readable).

Click here for a review.

Speaking of Joyce, here is a trailer for the 2000 film "Nora" about Joyce and his wife. I saw it a few months ago and enjoyed it. Not that it's a great film but it is very well acted starring Ewan McGregor who is pretty much good in everything and you can see Joyce "wasn't all there" so to speak. Throughout the film he grows increasingly paranoid and destructive. Yes, I know an artist cliche but I said I LIKED the film and it was better than that armpit of a movie "Sylvia".

There is also a link on that site to a film called "James Joyce's Women"--I've not seen that one but I watched the trailer. Click on the above link and see for yourself.

Book Review: Everyman Library: Irene Nemirovsky.

Click here for my review.

Spent the day hiking and got some cuts and scratches but it was a fulfilling day. Will post pics soon.

More Cats Galore...

It's a rainy Sunday morning and I woke up early and did a bunch of chores. When it decides to clear up I will venture out on a walk since it is my day off from running. I thought I'd give some cat pix since you can't get enough of them: Here is Baby Thor: (click to enlarge to see how cute--you can also see Apollo's feet in the photo).

Apollo developed a Staph infection last week in his right eye but my lovely vet put him on some different antibiotics and it is clearing up nicely. Poor baby. But here you can see how big he's gotten, this is my winter pajama drawer and when he was a tiny kitten he used to fit a whole lot better. But you can see he's not just ready to give up.

Well hopefully the rain will settle down because I'd like to go out for a nice walk. Yesterday was so nice, I sat outside and read. But right now the laundry is done, so ta ta!

But the 'System' Never Makes Mistakes!

I had a funny experience the other night and it makes me chuckle those who invest so much into "authority" and "the system" as though it never makes any mistakes. I decided I wanted to start reading Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser just because it's been on the shelf and I'd heard of him yet had never actually read him, so now I wanted to. So here's what happened: it was evening, and I opened the book and began reading the introduction which was dry and boring, and I just then eventually ended up skipping over it. Then I started reading, and I thought it was a weird way to begin the book. I kept thinking, "hmm, he must be a philosophical writer." I thought that maybe Kundera had been influenced by him, since Kundera tends to delve into bits of philosophy throughout his novels, albeit he's not dry like this. I actually got to about 15 pages in, when I finally asked, "now what does any of this have to do with Sister Carrie?" I flipped ahead to see if there was any dialogue but all I saw were some graphs and charts. Graphs and charts in a novel? Finally, 15 pages later I caught on (it was late and I'm going to use that as my excuse for taking so long to finally catch on):


What I was reading wasn't Sister Carrie at all, but Matter and Memory by Henri Bergson. I got to thinking how such 2 different books could have gotten mixed up--the Bergson book with a Sister Carrie cover? Someone wasn't paying attention. But the interesting thing to note is that for the first few pages or so I was actually open to what I was reading, I thought it was an unusual yet interesting way to begin, and this little trick that was played on me actually gave me an idea for one of my own books. Granted, as the pages went on, this book was very dry and I wouldn't call it a fluid or fun read, but to begin with something that one does not expect--that was fun to experience, though for it to work, it has to somehow tie into a story. Some of the ideas Bergson was talking about were interesting but they just weren't entertaining as a read. This is why I much prefer philosophical novels to reading straight philosophy because it's not just about the ideas themselves but the way they are expressed.

Anyhow, publishers make all sorts of mistakes, as you can see, though much of them involve their choices. Yet I still want to read Sister Carrie though it won't be this version!

Book Review: Tin Lizard Tails.

Here is my review of Tin Lizard Tails: an entertaining and humorous travel memoir by Schuyler T. Wallace.

"Upon reading this book, there are several ways in which it could be classified. On one hand, it is definitely travel writing, and yet it is also a compiled memoir broken down into separate essays—which discuss not only Wallace’s actual month long trip but a history of all the places he and his wife visited, the food that they ate, the people they encountered. So in other words, it is a little bit of everything..."

To The Zoo...

Dan and I went to the zoo a few weeks ago where I got to test out my camera, and so I promised pix so here goes. And as you can probably guess, I have a strong affinity for large cats. Click to enlarge. (They get very large indeed).




The Nasty Monkey...

I'm cute...

I'm sad...

Beautiful Red...

Hey sexy...


Just chillin'









Mountain Lion: Big Kitty Cat.
Kiss me: I'm a llama...

Come and play with us...


He doesn't take handouts...

To Bosnia and Back Again...

Still don't know who is telling the truth? Watch this and see...