Our friends gave us Apple TV for Christmas and we have been burning our films as fast as we can. I am finding movies I completely forgot about. Yesterday I burned the Serbian "Underground." It is magic realist Odyssey about Yugoslavia starting in WWII and going through the the 90s. It is heartbreaking and hilarious.
I believe it is my favorite movie, and I dont' say that lightly.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114787/
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Helmet Worthy
I don't understand helmets. People make kids wear helmets when they ride bikes and roller skate. HMMMM. Why don't kids have to wear helmets while riding in a car? That seems a lot more dangerous. I was in a bad car accident a couple of years back and I cracked the window with my head. A helmet would have helped. Of course, if would have really helped if I'd been wearing a seat belt.
Anyway, I don't get the whole idea of what we as a society consider "helmet worthy." For example, if you are jumping out of a plane, you have to wear a helmet. Shit! If your parachute didn't open, do you really think a helmet would help? One the other hand, you never seen anyone wearing a helmet when they are jumping on a trampoline. Seems to me that that IS a situation where a helmet might make sense.
There are sports where you are not required to wear helmets, but I think wearing a helmet would be a good idea, like ice skating. It seems like you could get a bad head injury hitting the ice with your head. (remember the movie Ice Castles where the girl skid into the patio furniture and went blind?) Gymnastics. They should wear helmets. It is a good idea to wear a helmet horseback riding (like jockeys and fox hunting), but they wear those goofy light little things. They should wear a motorcycle helmet. Cowboys don't wear helmets and they ride bulls.
I have almost slipped and fallen in my kitchen lots of times. Should I wear a helmet in the house? For that matter, I wonder how many people roll out of bed every year and bust open their heads. So we should wear a sleeping helmet. Is the answer that we should all wear helmets all the time??????
Anyway, I don't get the whole idea of what we as a society consider "helmet worthy." For example, if you are jumping out of a plane, you have to wear a helmet. Shit! If your parachute didn't open, do you really think a helmet would help? One the other hand, you never seen anyone wearing a helmet when they are jumping on a trampoline. Seems to me that that IS a situation where a helmet might make sense.
There are sports where you are not required to wear helmets, but I think wearing a helmet would be a good idea, like ice skating. It seems like you could get a bad head injury hitting the ice with your head. (remember the movie Ice Castles where the girl skid into the patio furniture and went blind?) Gymnastics. They should wear helmets. It is a good idea to wear a helmet horseback riding (like jockeys and fox hunting), but they wear those goofy light little things. They should wear a motorcycle helmet. Cowboys don't wear helmets and they ride bulls.
I have almost slipped and fallen in my kitchen lots of times. Should I wear a helmet in the house? For that matter, I wonder how many people roll out of bed every year and bust open their heads. So we should wear a sleeping helmet. Is the answer that we should all wear helmets all the time??????
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Flu Shot?
I'm debating on whether to get a flu shot. I'm suspicious of those things. It seems so gross that they are going to inject you with flu. It is bad enough that they are going to inject you with anything somebody cooked up in a lab. I have never had a flu shot, and I don't think I have gotten sicker than anyone else. In fact, I haven't had a full on puking flu in years. Maybe that's why I'm considering the shot. I guess I'm due a bad flu. Is it better to let them inject you with this manufactured crap, or is it better to get the flu and ride it out?
I hate needles too. I once had a dream that the word VACCINATION appeared in varicose veins on my thigh.
When I was a kid, I went to the worst doctor in the world. I got sick the last day of school in the third grade. I had a raging ear infection, bad fever, headache, puking. So I got taken to the doctor. I was already flipping out that I might have to have a shot. So after this doctor (who by the way looked like a big white jack rabbit, and his creepy old badger of a nurse) looked me over, they came back in with a huge needle full of penicillin. I was sitting on the table, and I swear to God that guy gave me the shot in the inside of my thigh about half way up my leg! It hurt so bad. I didn't move but started crying. I remember him saying, clear as day, "Now if you act stupid, I'll stick you again." When he pulled the needle out, my skin moved up with the motion of the needle. Blood spurted out, and as if this wasn't enough, the creepy old badger nurse came at me with this clear curvy, twisty plastic straw. She sucked the blood from the injection spot. I remember MY blood moving through that straw like it was yesterday. She had already taken blood from me by sticking me with the huge silver thing that she jabbed into my finger. So I don't know what the point was of sucking the blood from my thigh like a freak.
I had a friend who had cut her head and needed a couple of stitches. She SWEARS the jack rabbit doctor gave her a shot to numb her head IN HER TOE, then stitched her head with nothing to else the pain.
We had the best medicine in the Appalachians. Dame good thing we didn't have any of this socialized medicine nonsense.
So I'm no closer to making a decision on this shot question...but I think I'm leaning against it.
I hate needles too. I once had a dream that the word VACCINATION appeared in varicose veins on my thigh.
When I was a kid, I went to the worst doctor in the world. I got sick the last day of school in the third grade. I had a raging ear infection, bad fever, headache, puking. So I got taken to the doctor. I was already flipping out that I might have to have a shot. So after this doctor (who by the way looked like a big white jack rabbit, and his creepy old badger of a nurse) looked me over, they came back in with a huge needle full of penicillin. I was sitting on the table, and I swear to God that guy gave me the shot in the inside of my thigh about half way up my leg! It hurt so bad. I didn't move but started crying. I remember him saying, clear as day, "Now if you act stupid, I'll stick you again." When he pulled the needle out, my skin moved up with the motion of the needle. Blood spurted out, and as if this wasn't enough, the creepy old badger nurse came at me with this clear curvy, twisty plastic straw. She sucked the blood from the injection spot. I remember MY blood moving through that straw like it was yesterday. She had already taken blood from me by sticking me with the huge silver thing that she jabbed into my finger. So I don't know what the point was of sucking the blood from my thigh like a freak.
I had a friend who had cut her head and needed a couple of stitches. She SWEARS the jack rabbit doctor gave her a shot to numb her head IN HER TOE, then stitched her head with nothing to else the pain.
We had the best medicine in the Appalachians. Dame good thing we didn't have any of this socialized medicine nonsense.
So I'm no closer to making a decision on this shot question...but I think I'm leaning against it.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
I Like The Price Is Right
I like the Price Is Right. It is a throwback to an older era in TV. A game show. Audience participation. A big shiny wheel to spin. Prizes. No carnivals come around any more. At least not the carnivals with real carnies. Every carnival I have seen in recent years seems to have more "respectable" people there. They have local people selling the food usually. Someone that owns a food trailer and just goes to local events. I actually don't mind that part. I figure the food is safer.
But I miss the real carnival people. The last time I saw REAL carnival people was at the Manassas Fair in the early 90s. They didn't have real freak shows, but they had some damn strange things: there was a tent you went into and it was supposed to show the evils of drugs. It was a guy strapped in a chair with IVs coming out his arms. He would shake his hands and head and drool. As you passed him, he would look you right in the eyes. It smelled horrible cause the guy was sweating in the thick heat of Northern VA. It disturbed me. People were taking their little kids in there gleefully to show them the results of drug use. The thing gave me nightmares. I can't imagine how a 5 year old would react in the middle of the night.
When the carnivals used to come to my hometown, they would get local kids to help them set up. They always seem to choose the pot smokers. I went by there to see my friend once and he told me not to ride anything because the carnival guys were stoned, he was stoned and he was sure something was going to fall apart or fly off into the night.
I really wish authentic carnivals could come back, but I'm sure they would so offend the current delicate American sensibility, they would never be allowed. But I feel deep down we Americans need some carnival like entertainment. That is why we go to amusement parks in droves. Of course, it's not the same, but there are still elements of those old carnivals: you can still win those hugs stuffed animals, still ride rides (that hopefully won't break down), still get carnival food. Then of course there are the lights. Lights on the rides, lights line the edges of the game booths and food carts. Lights, lights, lights.....There is that thrill of unexpectedly coming upon a carnival at night. Spinning blinking lights in the middle of a field that is usually vacant.
We were in Martha's Vineyard this summer and at Oak Bluff, they have a beautiful old merry-go-round that has been restored. It is inside, sort of. You can see it from the street. You just have to walk in a few steps to get the full effect. The animals on the merry-go-round are not shiny and fancy like the ones you see in contemporary parks and there weren't as many lights. But this merry-go-round was special, very old fashioned. The horses had real hair for manes and tails. There was some game where the kids would try to grab something as they went by and a barker with a mike would announce a winner. I think the winner got to ride again for free. The breeze created by the merry-go-round was gentle and smelled of old stores that sold pickles in barrels. There was the charming sound of wood creaking. And people being unusually nice as we all crowded in and watched the wooden animals spin round and round. It was such a nice diversion in this high tech, no attention span world.
This reminds me of Krack the Dragon. In Krakow Poland, there is a magnificent castle on the hill. When you have seen all you want to see of the buildings, you can exit through the "dragon's cave." You enter into a turret and walk down lots of very narrow, uneven steps. The stairs are so narrow that there is no way you can turn back to pass someone. You have to go on. This thought occurred to me because I'm very claustrophobic. You pass little windows that you couldn't shove a cat through and then the windows disappear and it gets darker as you descend further and further underground. Finally you come into a cave that is extremely slippery and poorly lit. Seems there were white arrows pointing the way out. Once out, you meet an enormous, gorgeous dragon statue on the edge of the river. It's really beautiful. Krack the Dragon is up on his back feet with his head up in the air. About every 30 seconds, fire shoots out of his mouth. We all stand around excited waiting for him to breath fire again. When he does, there is a happy murmur that moves through the crowd. It doesn't matter for the moment we that we all speak different languages.
I don't think Krack breaths fire on Mondays so be warned if you go looking for him.
But I miss the real carnival people. The last time I saw REAL carnival people was at the Manassas Fair in the early 90s. They didn't have real freak shows, but they had some damn strange things: there was a tent you went into and it was supposed to show the evils of drugs. It was a guy strapped in a chair with IVs coming out his arms. He would shake his hands and head and drool. As you passed him, he would look you right in the eyes. It smelled horrible cause the guy was sweating in the thick heat of Northern VA. It disturbed me. People were taking their little kids in there gleefully to show them the results of drug use. The thing gave me nightmares. I can't imagine how a 5 year old would react in the middle of the night.
When the carnivals used to come to my hometown, they would get local kids to help them set up. They always seem to choose the pot smokers. I went by there to see my friend once and he told me not to ride anything because the carnival guys were stoned, he was stoned and he was sure something was going to fall apart or fly off into the night.
I really wish authentic carnivals could come back, but I'm sure they would so offend the current delicate American sensibility, they would never be allowed. But I feel deep down we Americans need some carnival like entertainment. That is why we go to amusement parks in droves. Of course, it's not the same, but there are still elements of those old carnivals: you can still win those hugs stuffed animals, still ride rides (that hopefully won't break down), still get carnival food. Then of course there are the lights. Lights on the rides, lights line the edges of the game booths and food carts. Lights, lights, lights.....There is that thrill of unexpectedly coming upon a carnival at night. Spinning blinking lights in the middle of a field that is usually vacant.
We were in Martha's Vineyard this summer and at Oak Bluff, they have a beautiful old merry-go-round that has been restored. It is inside, sort of. You can see it from the street. You just have to walk in a few steps to get the full effect. The animals on the merry-go-round are not shiny and fancy like the ones you see in contemporary parks and there weren't as many lights. But this merry-go-round was special, very old fashioned. The horses had real hair for manes and tails. There was some game where the kids would try to grab something as they went by and a barker with a mike would announce a winner. I think the winner got to ride again for free. The breeze created by the merry-go-round was gentle and smelled of old stores that sold pickles in barrels. There was the charming sound of wood creaking. And people being unusually nice as we all crowded in and watched the wooden animals spin round and round. It was such a nice diversion in this high tech, no attention span world.
This reminds me of Krack the Dragon. In Krakow Poland, there is a magnificent castle on the hill. When you have seen all you want to see of the buildings, you can exit through the "dragon's cave." You enter into a turret and walk down lots of very narrow, uneven steps. The stairs are so narrow that there is no way you can turn back to pass someone. You have to go on. This thought occurred to me because I'm very claustrophobic. You pass little windows that you couldn't shove a cat through and then the windows disappear and it gets darker as you descend further and further underground. Finally you come into a cave that is extremely slippery and poorly lit. Seems there were white arrows pointing the way out. Once out, you meet an enormous, gorgeous dragon statue on the edge of the river. It's really beautiful. Krack the Dragon is up on his back feet with his head up in the air. About every 30 seconds, fire shoots out of his mouth. We all stand around excited waiting for him to breath fire again. When he does, there is a happy murmur that moves through the crowd. It doesn't matter for the moment we that we all speak different languages.
I don't think Krack breaths fire on Mondays so be warned if you go looking for him.
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