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Movie: Unknown White Male (2005)
A real story of extreme amnesia debunks some of the Hollywood amnesia mythology, leaving the piercing philosophical questions exposed. Our good fortune is that the amnesia struck a financially independent man with a video camera, who previously had a nosey friend with a video camera. So we’re able to see what might happen to a…
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The Palace – Poudre Wall
A bright, warm Fall day introduces Sean, Ann, and I to Mark and Kate, and the Poudre Wall at The Palace. A little later cousin Doug and Liz show up. It’s a great group, reminding me of the many fun group outings I took part in in the Eastern Sierra Nevada with the Ridgecrest social…
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Movie: Somersault (2006)
This Australian coming-of-age film follows the struggles of a 16-year-old girl who runs away from home to a small ski town. It does a pretty amazing job of exposing some of the difficulties of establishing relationships as a teenager, and just surviving, that shows how some painful lessons might change a person and yet leave…
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Movie: Eight Below (2006)
You know from the second the soundtrack starts that this is a Disney movie, and as such is going to manipulate you mercilessly. Resistance is futile. Just drink some water beforehand so you don’t get dehydrated by the tear extraction process. Despite my resentment of the emotional manhandling, the movie is redeemed to a large…
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Movie: Off The Map (2003)
A fine expression of the New Mexico hippy mystique. The landscapes are spellbinding, and the characters are duly enchanted by them. Fond sentiments for my broke and happy days in Dixon and Chimayo soon flooded me. Cheers to any of my arroyo copilots from those days who may drop by here and see this! Referred…
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Ironclads – Ironsides
Some comments for the record on the climbs we did on Ironsides: Port Side 5.6 I lead this, putting in small nuts and cams. We then pull the rope and Ann re-leads on my gear. Enjoyable. Alloy Madness Pitch 1 5.9 Fun overhanging start. The holds are big, and Ann is happy to nail it…
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Autumn colors at the Ironclads
Dad and Sarah tag along on our hike to Ironsides for some climbing. There are only scattered stands of Aspen here, but they are so bright I find myself looking away from them involuntarily, as if they might hurt my eyes. The sky is overcast and there’s a crisp breeze – perfect Fall weather. I’m…
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Live Music: CSO & Joyce Yang
It’s difficult not to imagine water during the evening’s introductory piece, Liadov‘s The Enchanted Lake. It somehow shimmers and ripples, and I can understand why Kahane wanted to give his favorite piece by a lesser known composer some attention. The pianist for the main attraction, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, is a twenty year-old Van…
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constanttrek
I’ve been honored to put up a new website for fellow outdoor adventurer Paula Constant: constanttrek. She has put together an expedition from scratch that is almost beyond imagining, surviving a split with her husband and months of searching for funds to continue her walk across the Sahara desert, which she is now ready to…
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Movie: Brick (2006)
There are a lot of concepts at work in this film. I probably would have liked it if there had been fewer. The idea of a film noir set in a high school is intriguing. What kind of smoky dramas might take place in a modern urban school district? You don’t find out here, because…