Light/Breezes

Light/Breezes
SUNRISE AT DEATH VALLEY-Photo by Tom Cochrun

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

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.

Monday, January 23, 2012

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
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.


Saturday, January 21, 2012

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.

Friday, January 20, 2012

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.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

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.
  

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

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.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

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.