A JEWEL, GOLD AND A DIAMOND

PRECIOUS- 

TOLD, FOUND, OLD

*Thoughts on an extraordinary new film

*A day of discovery

*A Neil Diamond encounter

REEL THOUGHTS

EXTREMELY LOUD AND OUTRAGEOUSLY CLOSE

I want to add a few more oxymorons to the title 

of the film-

uniquely extraordinary

powerfully moving

hauntingly reassuring.

This is not one of those big name (Tom Hanks,

Sandra Bullock, Max Van Sydow, Viola Davis)

formulaic and predictable films. Director Stephen
Daldry(The Reader, The Hours, Billy Elliot) keeps you off balance from the unsettling opening credits. He has a lot to work with.  Eric Roth's screenplay (Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Forest Gump,The Insider, Munich, Horse Whisperer)
is the latest in a series of brilliant scripts. He worked with
actor/writer Jonathan Safran Foer's  (Everything is Illuminated) book Extremely Loud and Outrageously Close.  These are some of the brightest, most
talented, gifted and cerebral people in film making.
What you get is a film that works on you in a 
special way.  The premise, a possibly near Asperger's syndrome nine year old, finds a key belonging to his father who died in the 9/11 attack. That launches him
on a search mission that leads viewers into a 
wonderful discovery of humanity and love.
Thomas Horn, the nine year old, carries this
film in a way that only seeing can convey.
Hanks and Bullock are again superb.
But Max Van Sydow, as a speechless man, is so good
he will etch a memory.  He uses no words, just
expressions,his eyes and body language. Wow!!!
It is an odd film, hard to categorize, makes you laugh,
cry, feel desperation and then joy.
Yea, guess I'm saying this is one you want to see. It's a jewel.
GOLD?

It was on this date in 1848 that gold was discovered

at Sutter's Mill, pictured below.

 Gold flecks in this creek set off what became

the gold rush of '49.

California was forever changed.

If you'd like a quick tour of California's Gold country
link here for an earlier post of the Mother Lode Highway.
A DIAMOND MEMORY
Noting that today is Neil Diamond's birthday
reminded me of an encounter years ago.
I was a college student working at a commercial station
that hosted a "Caravan of Stars" concert headlined by
Mr. Diamond who was just then breaking out. It was still very early in his career.
  Most of the tour traveled on a bus but we were told that Neil was traveling by motorcycle and would arrive later.
I had been scheduled to do dressing room interviews
with the singers as they were changing into their
performance outfits.  
Diamond arrived back stage, got a notice from the producer he was to be interviewed by me.  He came over to where
I was set up.  
"Hi I'm Neil, I'm here for my interview." 
"Nice to meet you.  I like your music, " I said.
"Would you like to change before the interview?" I added.
Diamond looked shocked, perplexed.
"What's wrong with this?" He said looking down at 
his jeans, boots and rubbing his leather jacket
over a ruffled shirt.
We did the interview.  I apologized in some mumbled manner
about insulting him.  He passed it off like it was no
big deal.
I soon noticed that more rock stars abandoned blazers, mohair suits and the like for "real" clothes. 
In his autobiography Keith Richards tells how the Stones
made that transition.  It was just a few months after the Diamond encounter the Stones
toured the mid-west and I was assigned to
a news conference with the lads.
No costumes for them.  Lots of cigarettes though. 
They had made the change.
Neil Diamond was the cutting edge of that cultural change
which just took a little longer to get to Muncie
Indiana in the mid '60's.
Thanks for the lesson, Neil.  Sorry again.
Happy Birthday.
See you down the trail.

CREATIVITY, WINNING & SHAKING IT OFF

HOW WE AMUSE OUR SELF

Like millions, I pumped a little anxiety into

the atmosphere this weekend.  I had invested an

emotional hope into the efforts of the Harbaugh brothers,

thinking what a great Superbowl that would be.

I've known Jim since he quarterbacked the

Colts and became a racing team partner

of two long time friends. Jim is an 

inspirational guy.

I can't help but feel bad for the Raven's kicker

and the 49ers receiver who had their big chance

turn into ashes.  I suspect the coaches

Harbaugh have met those emotional wounds

with something Jim said they learned at home

from their father, a coach.

Win or loose you have 24 hours to

either celebrate or feel bad, and then

you put it behind you and move on.

Jim and John Harbaugh are doing that

and I hope the players do as well.

IT WAS QUITE A PARTY

The sun came out and so did many friends

this weekend for Lana's Artist's Reception

at Windward Vineyard.

 You can see and read more about

her series of Plein Air Oils

Wandering the Central Coast

here.

I remain her #1 fan.

REEL THOUGHTS

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

This is John Le Carre captured on film.

I'm a fan of his work, though have often found 

myself rereading pages and even making notes.

His plots are intricate, complex and cerebral. So are

his characters. I can't imagine a better George Smiley

than how Gary Oldman nailed the role.  John Hurt

as Control is brilliant -pained, overwhelmed, fatigued,

byzantine and long suffering.  Benedict Cumberbatch,

who is getting a lot of attention at Sherlock in the PBS

series, shows his range as Peter Gulliam.

Director Tomas Alfredson somehow managed to

capture the arcane world of Le Carre.  The 

look of the film is spot on perfect as to how

I imagined the world Le Carre painted with words.

But, as in the case of the book, you need to 

pay attention to this film. It is a cerebral exercise,

which is what many of us like about Le Carre.

It may even make you long for the old cold war!

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) SURFS UP

A CALIFORNIA VIBE

There's a kind of acknowledgement around Cambria that

if you hire a painter or carpenter who surfs

you can expect them to arrive early (after the

morning ride) and leave by late afternoon

(to catch the afternoon waves).

Teachers, business people, counselors and

others do likewise.  

Unlike most states there is a real surfing legacy

here.  It is part of the lifestyle.

I worked with a fellow from upstate New York who

never surfed until he moved to California. In his

40's he became addicted to it.

When visiting SoCal we used to play around

on boogie boards.  That was a thrill which

only heightened my respect for those

who surf, long boards or short.

So THE WEEKENDER :) shares this

extraordinary video, sent along by my

friend Jim who has years of watching

the surf, surfers and who watched as his

own son became a talented surfer.

For those of you in winter locked regions of the

planet, take a California break.

See you down the trail.

WHEN IT FALLS

A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION

"But methought it lessened my esteem of a King

that he should not be able to command the rain."

Samuel Pepys Diary entry 19 July 1662

 After an historically dry December and January, the 

rain has begun. Rain is a seasonal thing on the California

Central Coast and every inch is precious.  Last year's abnormally high rain fall broke a drought.  We started

this rain season well, then it dried up, so the storm systems

that are aloft are cause for celebration.

 Rain wasn't on our mind much in mid-west, unless

it was an unwelcome intruder on picnics, parties, ball games and weekends.

Here, I have seen grown adults dance in the rain, simply 

because it is.

 Sunshine and blue sky are so abundant here that

a little rain can make us giddy.

Yep-that's the way it is in California.

We love it.

Party on!!!

See you down the trail.

WINSTON CHURCHILL

THE FINEST HOUR

Several years ago a few of us then in the 

heartland, created a Churchill Society.

Impressed with his wit, love of adult

beverages and cigars, that alone was

enough to prompt our beginning.

But we were history nuts as well and

it is there we found the "serious" reason

for our gathering.  We've been 

trading communication in the last several

hours about the new Churchill Center coming

to Washington, even proposing field trips.

So, I've spent some time looking at Churchill clips, and 
thinking how my high school and college research
papers would have been different given the 
tools of youtube and search engines.

See you down the trail.

  

INFORMATION WARS

BATTLE LINES IN THE BRAVE NEW WORLD

A chasm sized absence has been launched as a defensive weapon in a profound and historic battle today.

Wikipedia has gone dark.

Link here for the Wikipedia rationale.

In summary a battle of giants is raging-

entertainment powerhouses of television, music and film versus Internet, tech and new media icons.

The focus is SOPA and PIPA-legislation designed 

to stop piracy and protect intellectual property rights.

Production companies, film makers, musicians and television networks want to stop uncompensated use of 

their material, primarily by foreign (outside the US)

web sites.  Google, Wikipedia, Facebook and other

cyber powers argue the legislation is poorly drafted

and will infringe upon free communication,

search, and the unfettered brave new world

of the Internet. Our parents would consider

this the stuff of science fiction, but information

wars are our reality. 

When I was ceo of a media and content production 

company I watched as some of our product was

pirated. It is theft, pure and simple.

Yet as we know the cure can sometimes be worse than

the disease and that is point of today's world wide

protest.

Many in the tech industry fear the legislation will

give too much power to the networks and film studios.

This is, as one account called it, a coming of age for

the world of tech, new media and the Internet.

A kind of wild west where anything that works, goes

is now faced with old fashioned power politics.

It is an historic battle and today's disappearance of

Wikipedia and other messages is an escalation.

DAY BOOK

MY OWN TECH EXPERIMENT

Today's study of the Cayucos pier is

from my smart phone, via e-mail.

Carry on cyber warriors.

See you down the trail.

A COMBUSTIBLE DEBATE

WHAT ABOUT THE FOREST?

Cambria and this area of the Central Coast
has been recently treated to a sometimes loud and
an animated debate about the clearing of a
a firebreak.  There are differing ideas about
how best to do that.  This post
raises the issue only as a point of context.
I wonder why some of our Monterey Pine forest
is allowed to become a kind of tinder box?

A recent hike across the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve

and into a portion of the forest

revealed what, to this blogger, looked like a dangerous situation.

There are plenty more situations like those captured in these few frames.  A lot of downed branches, limbs and even trees-

simply left to age, dry and become potential kindling.

I know experts who argue that it is best

to leave the forests untouched and natural.  A strain of

naturalist or environmentalist will agree but others differ.

It seems common sense alone would lead to know that

less debris like this, kindling, makes for a reduced fire hazard.  Chumash and Salinan tribes practiced controlled

burns to preen the wilderness and eliminate the potential for greater danger.  It also allowed for healthy soil and native

plant growth.

As I hike the area, I need to suppress the urge to 
clean up the forest floor.
Maybe some of the local hobbits will carry away
the debris and use it in their fireplaces!
In the meantime I wonder why there is such a 
difference of opinion.
See you down the trail.