SWMBO and I have just seen "The King's Speech", the story of King George VI and his struggle with his stammering. Colin Firth should easily win the Oscar, as he already has won the Golden Globe, for Best Actor in an amazing performance. But Geoffrey Rush also should have at least a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Both were sensational in this enjoyable movie.
As a curious sidenote, just as we entered the theatre and were trying to adjust our eyes to the darkness, we encountered the BRD who was unexpectedly in attendance. May I say that we all loved the movie.
Long live the King!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
By the way . . .
I would be remiss if I failed to mention yet another new blog from an old friend of mine, one Frank Phillippi who writes from the environs of Virginia near to the power elite. He is one who keeps a weather eye on those in power in Washington. But his blog reveals another interest all together (or should that be altogether? Oh, never mind.)
You may inspect his blog at Vinyl Stats. Enjoy!
You may inspect his blog at Vinyl Stats. Enjoy!
Trader Joe's and construction updates
Some good news to report on the long desired Trader Joe's location in our area today. Prescott Valley Economic Development Director Greg Fister told a meeting of the town's Chamber of Commerce yesterday morning that he'd "bet his paycheck" that Trader Joe's will be coming to this area this year. He said it's more likely that the store will be located in Prescott than Prescott Valley but we can live with that. There's been a huge urge by the communities to have TJ's locate here with, up until now, no positive reaction. Of course, Greg could be just optimistic but as tight as he is I doubt he'd risk a paycheck in such a cavalier fashion. So we wait. But the anxiety level has been raised a notch.
Up on the north side of town, construction work is continuing on the Highway 89-A overpass over Viewpoint Road. Workers are taking advantage of the great weather recently to make some progress.
Up on the north side of town, construction work is continuing on the Highway 89-A overpass over Viewpoint Road. Workers are taking advantage of the great weather recently to make some progress.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A turnaround?
Much has been made of President Obama's speech in Tucson this week. Pundits are asking (and sometimes answering their own questions) if it means a turnaround in the mean-spirited politics that has been going on for way too long. Like many of the punditry I'm not so sure the new spirit will last. But since I have said rather mean things about Arizona's Senator John McCain a couple of weeks ago, I feel I owe it to him to praise him now.
McCain has written a very complimentary and, has been said by others, "graceful" op ed piece which will appear in print in tomorrow's Washington Post. I suggest you read it and join me in thanking the Senator for his kind words.
In politics as in life one can be wrong sometimes and right (no pun intended) at other times.
McCain has written a very complimentary and, has been said by others, "graceful" op ed piece which will appear in print in tomorrow's Washington Post. I suggest you read it and join me in thanking the Senator for his kind words.
In politics as in life one can be wrong sometimes and right (no pun intended) at other times.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Space talk
Recently I recommended a new blog to you written by a long time friend of mine, Tom Cochrun. Now Tom can get a little spacey at times, like when he sent me an e-mail with a link to this article.
Go ahead, I'll wait here while you read it, if you have the patience.
Now I've picked on Tom for years about his undependable spelling though it appears he's gotten better at that since Spell Checkers became common in computer programs. But, spacing between sentences? As you have probably already noted, I always put two spaces between sentences. Now this writer at Salon says I've been doing it all wrong. Well I'm sorry. At this late date I don't think I can change. It's automatic with me. So, if you're one of those one spacers you'll just have to live with my errors.
As for Tom, here's a message for you, buddy:
Go ahead, I'll wait here while you read it, if you have the patience.
Now I've picked on Tom for years about his undependable spelling though it appears he's gotten better at that since Spell Checkers became common in computer programs. But, spacing between sentences? As you have probably already noted, I always put two spaces between sentences. Now this writer at Salon says I've been doing it all wrong. Well I'm sorry. At this late date I don't think I can change. It's automatic with me. So, if you're one of those one spacers you'll just have to live with my errors.
As for Tom, here's a message for you, buddy:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Update
Work is slowly getting underway on the Highway 89A overpass over Viewpoint Road. Slowly because as it was about to start a snowstorm blew in and it took awhile for everything to melt away.
I'll try to remember to keep you posted.
================================================
There's a function around here called the "Tuxedos and Tool Belts Ball." Having neither a tuxedo or a tool belt, I've never been to it but here's what I'd like to hear to get those outfits dancing.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
1-11-11
Today is January 11th, 2011. In abbreviated form, that makes it 1-11-11, as I realized when I read my friend Judy's blog this morning.
Those numbers kept rolling around in my head all day.
At first (there's another 1) I put meaning to it when I heard SWMBO stir and I went to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea. Normally I get her teabag and grab a packet of sweetener at the same time to put in my second cup of coffee. But today those numbers had me thinking about something I'd read recently about multi-tasking. We seem to have become accustomed to multi-tasking, doing two and more things at once. For example, surfing the Internet while also checking our e-mail and half-listening to the news coming from the nearby radio or television set. Add to that thinking about tasks coming up ahead in our day, wondering if we have some English muffins in the kitchen, re-living last night's exciting football game, considering whether that was what kept me from getting to sleep until nearly 3 a.m., and a plethora of other things. It's enough to make anyone more than a little addled as the brain struggles to keep up. The article I read said that multi-taskers generally don't do any one of the tasks well. We have become adept at keeping many balls in the air but we're finding less and less applause for our act. It's the old thing of heading into another room to do something but forgetting what it was you were going to do. That's usually blamed on getting older. But I think it's more and more because we're all trying to do too many things at the same time. At least, thinking about doing them.
So, I resolved to try to change that and do just one thing at a time and to try to concentrate on that one thing. But it's not easy. For example, just now I was thinking ahead about where I want this little essay to go in the next paragraph while I was typing this one. That may take multi-tasking to a ridiculous extreme but I think you can get the idea.
O.K. It's another paragraph and this is the second thought I had. It came from the television newscast where a scientist of some type or another was saying that Jarred Lee Loughner, the man who murdered a handful of people in Tucson Saturday morning, was almost certainly schizophrenic. He claimed this was 99 percent certain because of things we have learned about him since his heinous act. And various pundits are now saying words to the effect of "he may not have been influenced by right wing talk radio or Sarah Palin and her map because, while he seemed to be a fan of Ayn Rand and the gold standard he also seemed to favor the Communist manifesto and books like 'To Kill a Mockingbird'." Maybe his brain couldn't handle all that multi-tasking and just . . broke.
So where do I go from here? I don't believe I have any good solutions to anything right now, except to go to sleep tonight and be thankful that tomorrow will be merely 1-12-11.
Those numbers kept rolling around in my head all day.
At first (there's another 1) I put meaning to it when I heard SWMBO stir and I went to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea. Normally I get her teabag and grab a packet of sweetener at the same time to put in my second cup of coffee. But today those numbers had me thinking about something I'd read recently about multi-tasking. We seem to have become accustomed to multi-tasking, doing two and more things at once. For example, surfing the Internet while also checking our e-mail and half-listening to the news coming from the nearby radio or television set. Add to that thinking about tasks coming up ahead in our day, wondering if we have some English muffins in the kitchen, re-living last night's exciting football game, considering whether that was what kept me from getting to sleep until nearly 3 a.m., and a plethora of other things. It's enough to make anyone more than a little addled as the brain struggles to keep up. The article I read said that multi-taskers generally don't do any one of the tasks well. We have become adept at keeping many balls in the air but we're finding less and less applause for our act. It's the old thing of heading into another room to do something but forgetting what it was you were going to do. That's usually blamed on getting older. But I think it's more and more because we're all trying to do too many things at the same time. At least, thinking about doing them.
So, I resolved to try to change that and do just one thing at a time and to try to concentrate on that one thing. But it's not easy. For example, just now I was thinking ahead about where I want this little essay to go in the next paragraph while I was typing this one. That may take multi-tasking to a ridiculous extreme but I think you can get the idea.
O.K. It's another paragraph and this is the second thought I had. It came from the television newscast where a scientist of some type or another was saying that Jarred Lee Loughner, the man who murdered a handful of people in Tucson Saturday morning, was almost certainly schizophrenic. He claimed this was 99 percent certain because of things we have learned about him since his heinous act. And various pundits are now saying words to the effect of "he may not have been influenced by right wing talk radio or Sarah Palin and her map because, while he seemed to be a fan of Ayn Rand and the gold standard he also seemed to favor the Communist manifesto and books like 'To Kill a Mockingbird'." Maybe his brain couldn't handle all that multi-tasking and just . . broke.
So where do I go from here? I don't believe I have any good solutions to anything right now, except to go to sleep tonight and be thankful that tomorrow will be merely 1-12-11.
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