THE MASTER

I finally saw "The Master" yesterday, via Netflix.  Many who have viewed it ahead of me talked about the mastery of Joaquin Phoenix in his role.  While I thought he was good, I failed to see the mastery. What I did notice was his strange hands-on-hips posture and his equally strange tittering laugh when he seemed nervous about something.  His violent rages I did not understand, other than that they seemed an exertation of anger at how his "master" was being mistreated.  But that didn't seem to hold true as he abandoned him at several points in the film.

The silliness of the mental routines for Phoenix (and others) didn't hold true for me although SWMBO said it was very similar to the mind-bending employed by the leaders of the Scientology movement, which many say this movie is based on.  Since I have never studied Scientology, I can't say.  But the accusations of one person in the movie, a John More, seem to go to the narrow focus of the cult.  But, is it a cult?

Scientology certainly seems to be and the followers of Lancaster Dodd and his wife certainly seem to be.

But back to the movie.  Is it good?  I'd give it about a 5 on a scale of 10.  It's fascinating but it doesn't seem to provide any truths.

Hooray for Hollywood!

A $5 A DAY STORMY MONDAY

I watched a movie from Netflix today.  "$5 A Day" with Christopher Walken, Alessandro Nivola, and a very hot looking Sharon Stone.  Considering the movie was released in 2008, she is holding together very well.  Walken, of course, is the centerpiece of this entertaining story of a lifelong con artist.  Very enjoyable.

As is this Monday song.

I AIN'T GOT NO HOME TO GO TO

No luck yet in our search for a new home but we're headed back down to the Big Valley this week with our heads held high and hopes intact.  

Meanwhile . . . 

And one more . . .

CATS IS STRANGE ANIMALS

With SWMBO gone all week, house sitting with the BRD's 3 cats, our cats seem to have gone into hibernation, at least in the daytime.  Muggles sleeps all day on the foot of the bed and this morning I caught her in a completely relaxed and unguarded moment.

Blackwell, on the other hand, is enjoying our packing and stacking boxes everywhere.  He frequently goes to the top of a tall stack just to see what's there.  And I have no idea how he got to this perch in an empty bookcase, about four feet from the floor.

Good climbing and leaping skills, I guess.  And he gets down by himself when no one is looking!

Meantime SWMBO and I are off to Phoenix to look at several houses for a possible new home today.  Wish us luck.

I'M GOIN' TO KATMANDU!!!

Colonel Colonel asked yesterday (in a comment on my post) if I was goin' to Katmandu.  I responded that I wasn't but I might sing it.  Needless to say, while I enjoy the famous song by that name, there is no way I could sing it.  But the legend from Detroit, Bullet Bob Seger certainly can.  Turn up your sound, folks, and look out for the next more than 6 minutes of rock and roll.

SOME THINGS ARE BEST NOT POSTED

I want to go to Annapurna

to watch the Annapurnans dance.

Perchance,

they’d let me dance

with them.

Or maybe they’d just say 

“Ahem,

We really do believe

that you had better leave.”

(For some reason, this poem(?) created itself in my head last night.  I'd explain it.  But I can't.)

SEQUESTER OR SESQUICENTENNIAL?

Take your pick.  There's been a ton of talk in the media and elsewhere about the Sequester the nation is facing on March 1st.  But another important day is today.  In Arizona, at least.  This is the sesquicentennial of the Arizona Territory.  President Abraham Lincoln created the territory exactly 150 years ago today.  Joanna Dodder Nellans has written a fine article about the history in today's Prescott Daily Courier newspaper.

Darned if there wasn't a light dusting of white stuff greeting early risers today to mark the occasion, I guess.

But the sun is up and the snow is rapidly melting off and being blown away by gusty winds.

Meantime, the BRD and her Beau Jack leave this morning for California's central coast, where the high temperature is expected to be in the 70's most of the week of their vacation.

Oscar night tonight.  We've only seen a couple of the films that are nominated but here are my predictions, based on many articles I've read.

Best Picture - Argo
Directing - Steven Spielberg
Leading Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis
Supporting Actor - Tommy Lee Jones
Leading Actress - Jennifer Lawrence
Supporting Actress - Anne Hathaway

But, as all "predictors" are wont to say - "who knows?"