cyberhobo

Month: December 2005

  • Movie: March of the Penguins (2005)

    While this is an amazing documentary, I found the American theatre version to be a little too anthropomorphic, saccharine, and short on facts. How long do these penguins live? How many times will they mate? What is the bird of prey that attacks the chicks? The version narrated by the filmmakers is much better. Either…

  • Movie: Breaker Morant (1980)

    Is there such a thing as justice in war? This film follows the court marshal of two Australian and one British soldier in the Second Boer War, where they were pitted against Boers in the Bushveldt who were using guerilla tactics. Given vague orders, they execute several Boer prisoners in retaliation for a deceptive attack.…

  • Cloud Light

    This looks like another of my recent sunrise series, but the sun is not behind this cloud, it’s way off to the left. Some anomaly was causing this cloud to catch the light. It’s not the greatest picture, but it was eerie to behold, and I want to remember it. I didn’t even see the…

  • Movie: My Summer Of Love (2004)

    The unqualified success of this film for me is the way it captures the painful but ultimately worthy price of living with sincerity and integrity, especially in love. This point is made deftly and starkly, enough to make the facts that the lovers are young girls and some of the most insincere characters are evangelical…

  • Sunrise over Heron Lake

    The sun is just coming up now when I leave for work, filling the spaces between the inky trees across the frozen lake with a warm orange glow.

  • Hidden River

    I didn’t ride the bike at all last week due to sub-zero temperatures and Ann being in Santa Fe part of the week. Now on my return I find the Cache La Poudre River gone, and a snowy animal causeway in its place.

  • Book: The Piano Shop on the Left Bank / Thad Carhart

    This is a slow-paced, thoughtful book. I haven’t read anything like that recently, and it made me appreciate that reading can be relaxing and enriching without being overly manipulative or dramatic. Of course, if you don’t have any great interest in pianos or Paris, this may not be your cup of tea (or it may…

  • Ring-necked Duck

    We spotted this male Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) swimming in one of the holding ponds by Heron Lake, our RV park. You can just make out the purple ring around his neck that is the source of the species name, but the white ring on the bill is an easier way to identify these birds…

  • R.I.P. Squeaky Bear

    This morning I awoke to find Squeaky Bear lying eviscerated on the living room carpet. What fiend could have committed this grisly crime? Any amateur CSI enthusiasts out there? Update: Squeaky Bear’s bladder, the very source of his squeak, was found in Jezze’s water bowl. Hopefully all of SB’s organs are now accounted for, though…

  • Movie: Night of the Hunter (1955)

    I doubt I would’ve caught the influence of this film on Raising Arizona without some help. The quote near the end, “It’s a hard world for little things…” might have done it. Anyway, there are lots of influences if you look for them. A soulful, authentic sound track. Rich symbolism. Ambiguous religious figures. Evocative cinematography.…