2005 August

If a movie can have a bad plot and still be good, this is one.

This is a long look into the eyes of poor immigrants in London. The plot is not awful but definitely has some weak points and what felt to me like compromises. Ultimately, though, it’s just a canvas to paint the portraits of the characters on – a gritty, involving portrait that had enough power to take me into a very foreign perspective. That makes it worth watching.

Referred by: A radio review Ann heard when the film was in theaters.

I’ve been seeing these in the Northern Colorado foothills for a few weeks. They tend to appear in thick stands, usually not too far from water. Thanks again to Al Schneider from www.swcoloradowildflowers.com for the help identifiying this one, though I don’t think there’s an example on his site yet. He said it’s minty – I’ll have to smell it next time I see it!

The first book I’ve read in a while that fizzled for me – at least it’s short. This is a little fairy tale along the lines of A Christmas Carol, where people from the character’s life show it to him from different angles. Seemed to me like it’s been done already.

Near Red Feather Lakes, CO

I like this spot near Red Feather Lakes. It has solid, sharp, Vedauwoo-style granite boulders and formations in a more expansive feeling foothills setting. We did some fun problems, most too hard for us, but still quite enjoyable along with a night outdoors. We saw only one other climber, who told us there are trad routes up to 5.12 on the rocks above. All the high ratings around here often make me feel like I’m wasting my time climbing. But every time I come back from a trip up the “easy” routes, I can’t think of anything else I would rather have done.

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Very interesting to watch this Coen brothers’ movie again after seeing many others over the years. It’s absolutely chock full of stuff that I didn’t recognize the first time around, much of which I recognize from movies they made later. There are even direct references to subsequent Coen movies! The slapstick comedy takes place in a dreamlike cultural amalgam of nearly shakespearean dialogue in southern hick accents, Jungian psychological struggles amongst trailer trash, and lost souls who are born and return to the womb via a sewage-filled prison escape tunnel. The time is ambiguous as well, with hair pomade and Yoda both invoked. There is even a joke referencing an 18th century mathematician. For films that often express a bleak outlook on humanity, the Coen brothers seem to have a lot of fun creating them.

I guessed that these scrumptious-looking berries were probably edible, because when I broke one open the small round seed looked just like the ones in a big pile of bear scat we saw near Greyrock a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t try them, of course. There are a lot of berries in the upper Poudre Canyon this time of year, and I hope to identify more.

A bold, inspiring piece of historical fiction. Having the guts to portray the likes of Friedrich Nietzsche, Josef Breuer, and Sigmund Freud is impressive enough, telling a story of the origins of psychoanalysis ups the ante again, and it just keeps going. Not only has Yalom pulled it off, his premise and subtext ring bright and true to my ears. I don’t think I’ve encountered an author who sees more value or potential in human relationships, yet also manages to also convey the harsh deceits and conflicts that plague them. I’m eager to sample more of his work.

We were curious about this Tibetan Buddhist center, and made the hike to the Great Stupa shrine. It’s a strange place, with a few really attractive buildings, this grandiose shrine, some construction trailers, and hordes of white and green canvas tents. We were going to leave with the impression that it’s something between a retreat and a barracks, when the chef for the day saw us and convinced us to stay for lunch. They served gumbo, both vegetarian and shrimp and sausage, with organic salad from their gardens. We all agreed it was a fantastic meal. Then Ann lost her sunglasses. The chef asked if she’d been meditating. Apparently their students are very prone to losing things. An altogether unexpected experience.

Shambhala Mountain Website

Near Bellvue, CO

A leisurely day with some leisurely bouldering in the Poudre Canyon. Ann and I both make our fingers pink and raw, arms exhausted. There are wild berries everywhere here, and I wonder if we’ll see more bear sign, but none appears. During the night, however, there is a loud huffing outside our tent that sends Jezze fleeing in terror. I get up to investigate, but it crashes off to a safe distance. We can’t imagine what else it could have been. Later we hear gunshots and wonder it wandered into another, better armed camp.

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I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but after we passed our climbing destination for the following day we drove through every campground on the map, all full. Then Ann remembered, “Hey, I used to find a free spot to camp every night last summer.” She pulled out our map book and found some nearby forest roads. We nearly made the mistake of taking a spot near Chambers Lake, and the accompanying rowdy, music-playing partyers. But we ventured on, and found this nice spot in the Laramie River valley in an old, decommissioned campground.