Saturday, May 15, 2004
Friday, May 14, 2004
Happy Birthday Doug!
Wherever you are... Which is probably London, but could even be Moscow or Alma-Aty... Here's a picture of Doug relaxing last year among the Karen people in the hills of Northern Thailand...Back In The High Life Again! I'm happy to report that Hertz Rental Corporation has restored my rental privileges! I'm no longer a Hertz pariah! Yahoo! I'm so glad I fought back and defended my rights by hiring a lawyer. There's a object lesson here. What a great way to end a week!
Hey, Hey, We're The Trachenbergs! I'm going to Williamsburgh tonight, to NorthSix, to check out the Trachenberg Family Players, who, in their own words, "are an indie-vaudeville conceptual art-rock pop band that takes vintage slide collections that have been found at estate sales,garage sales,thrift stores,etc., and turn the lives of annonymous strangers into pop-rock musical exposes based on the contents of these slide collections." It sounds like enormous fun. Full report later.
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Thursday, May 13, 2004
Everybody's talking about it, even in the thatched huts of Lesotho! Aaron's very first ABN research report has finally, finally been published... this entry's permalink
Smells Like Unrat...
Poor Professor Rath. Sure, he's an ill-tempered curmudgeon, but his students tease him mercilessly, calling him "Unrat" instead of Rath, a play on words in German meaning "foul smell." I've been reading this classic German novel, in which the stodgy professor is totally ruined when he becomes obsessed with a cabaret singer named Lola. Only half-way through the book did I realize that this was the basis of the classic 1930 film "The Blue Angel" (see picture) that launched Marlene Dietrich and the song "Falling In Love Again." Decades later, Mel Brooks and Madeleine Khan (playing Lily Von Shtupp) parodied this scene in "Blazing Saddles" with the hilarious musical number, "I'm Tired." Interestingly, Dietrich left Germany in 1933, unable to stomach the nazis, while Emil Jennings, who played the Professor, stayed and became a Nazi progandist. He was disgraced after the war... this entry's permalink
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Summer's Here!
It sure feels that way in NY, with 80 degree mid-day highs and 8pm sunsets... I'm more sleepy than perky, facing a tough work week, what's left of it.. I did finish Dr Strangelove last night, which I appreciated much more than 20 years ago when I first saw it. Peter Sellers is so amazing playing the frustrated President, the hapless British major, and the bizarre ex-Nazi title character. George C Scott and Sterling Hayden also do great turns as a hawkish general and an insane colonel who triggers Armageddon, respectively. My appetite is now whet to see more Peter Sellars. I'd love to see "Mouse That Roared" again, where he plays another three roles, include the Duchess of Grand Fenwick! : - )Here's a Sellers gallery
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Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Victory Is Sweet...
They've finally listened to reason! Thanks to my lawyer, that is... I'm happy to report that Hertz is dropping their claim and agreeing that the insurance covered my accident. I think I'll be off their bad list, too.
My sister Deena and her family are going to the San Diego in early June, home of the awesome San Diego Zoo. I was there on New Year's Day, and was amazed by the quality as well as the quantity of this ingeniously designed love letter to animal diversity. I saw at least 30-40 animals I'd never seen before, all of them really spectacular. Here's one:
Changing the subject, this is NOT where my Mom and I will be staying in Iceland on Memorial Day weekend:
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Monday, May 10, 2004
Good news. Spoke with my lawyer and he thinks Hertz will ultimately admit they were wrong and leave me alone. yay! I asked him also to push to get my Hertz rental privileges back, just on principle. Below is a view of Neah Bay, Washington, close to where my accident happened on August 30, 2003. This is near Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point in the lower 48 states.
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This weekend I spent holed up with DVDs, music, and books on tape. Among the classics viewed was 1964's brilliant "Dr Strangelove," the black comedy about nuclear armageddon featuring Peter Sellars in three different roles. I hadn't seen it since my teen years, and I dare say we've both aged well. Slept only 6 hours last night : - ( so I'm a bit groggy. but, Forward March... this entry's permalink
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Madre, Hay Una Sóla
That's an Argentine Tango that translates as "you only have one Mom" - Happy Mother's Day My Mom is 2,400 miles away in Phoenix, but we will celebrate belatedly in 3 weeks, since I have invited her along for my stick-shift-driving Iceland adventure Memorial Day weekend. So what to do today? Hmmm (or Gmmm, as they say in Russian). Watch a few DVDs (I have Umberto D and Dr Strangelove out from Netflix). Definitely go out for fresh air. Listen to lots of music. Read about the metals and mining industry (my homework). Btw, I was really knocked out by the Spanish film "Open Your Eyes," a mind-bending existential parable about a womanizing rich kid who's disfigured in an accident, the movie Hollywood remade with Tom Cruise as "Vanilla Sky." Full report later. The photo is by MusedPixedFlake, one of my favorite photobloggers. I realized I haven't done Galería in a while. Maybe later. Cheery-o... this entry's permalink
