These are lean days, blog content-wise. That's why I've been so quiet lately. I bet you've wondered why I've been so soft and quiet and mousy lately. Sedate. Mellow. Unmoving and uncaring in a harsh, desolate world full of roving gangs of angry, insolent cacti...
Sorry, it got away from me there....
It is Thursday night as I write this. Eldest Daughter gets married tomorrow. That likely means I'll follow this post up right away with a second post containing pictures of the newlyweds. We're going to the courthouse Friday afternoon... hey, where better to receive your life sentence than from a judge at the courthouse, eh? "I now pronounce you man and wife. And now, let me give you a tour of the prison grounds..."
I'm not really that cynical... I just play that role online...
I'm happy for them, of course. I hope they live happily ever after. Hey, someone should! Might as well be them!
So I have a small bit of irony to relate to you. I'm sure some of you old-timers remember the small uproar I created by blithely insulting a published fantasy author named Jennifer Fallon a year or two (or ten) ago. I made a 200-page dent into her debut novel and was grossly underwhelmed, for reasons which I didn't elaborate upon at the time, electing instead to take the immature route and make general statements of derision in the name of vacuous entertainment. Well, it backfired, of course, and I was publicly embarrassed (and rightly so). Anyway, I stand by my initial assessment of that particular segment of the book I read, but the way I handled myself was regrettable... ANYWAY, all that to say, I decided to give her another shot and downloaded the free sample of one of her more recent books, The Immortal Prince, and it is very good, so far exhibiting none of the key problems I had with her earlier work (The Lion of Senet). So I will read the book (which is Book 1 in a trilogy, of course), and pound out a review. If it holds up, I'll talk it up... and if it tanks? Well, I'll be setting myself up for more embarrassment, now, won't I?
Of course, if I'm honest and use examples (in either case), it should be ok... far more so than serving up off-the-cuff dismissives.
So this is my current favorite video clip...
What can I say? I'm a sucker for high-definition, variable-speed slow-motion sports montage vids. So, yeah, that's my current fave... which is not big deal, really, since I have a new fave just about every day...
That spot in the video at 1:20, where that dude in the squirrel suit flies through that natural rock bridge with all the people... that's in Zhangjiajie City, China, and it's called Heaven's Gate (or the Chinese equivalent)...
Very cool. I wouldn't mind seeing that place in person at some point in my life... Of course, I wouldn't want to dive-bomb through it in a squirrel suit....
So I watched a documentary the other night called 4192, and it's about Pete Rose. It covers his career, from his childhood on up through the night he broke Ty Cobb's all-time hit record (which will likely never be repeated, ever). I thought it would be fun to watch the documentary, since I remember watching the game live on TV back in 1985, as he got the record-breaking hit -- the Reds were playing the Padres, and so the game was on local TV (even though they were playing in Cincinnati). Anyway, I thought it would be mildly interesting... but the doc really amazed me. It was so fascinating and so well-made, it instantly earned a 5 Star rating from me on NetFlix - which is something very few titles have ever earned from me. It was so crammed full of awesome stories and info from through Rose's career, I loved every minute of it. Dangit, let this guy into the Hall of Fame already! Gambling, schmambling! Who gives a crap!
I mentioned the doc and Pete Rose to my wife after I watched it, cuz I was dying to talk to someone about what I'd just watched, and she goes? "Pete Rose? Oh, you mean the guy that cheated, right?"
I said, "Really!? THAT's what you remember him for!? Are you KIDDING ME!?!?!"
What a shame.
Ouch!
OK, fine, sorry. That was a crass photo to post, even if it was on topic. Taking a foul ball there should not be mocked.
Here, let me post a cool photo of Babe Ruth instead...
I love old pictures like that. I look carefully at each face, wondering who the person was, and what his/her story was. Something extra cool about that era. Look at all the guys wearing hats and suits in the stands. You're not going to see some fat, shirtless dude with the Yankee logo painted on his chest... although that does give me an idea... I really should photoshop that into the background somewhere...
And now, the inside of a violin...
Or maybe it's a cello, I don't know... anyway, you really need to check out this gallery and see other photos of the insides of musical instruments. Very cool. The photographer snaked a small camera in there. Looks like the inside of a room, eh? The others are as cool, as is the gallery at the photographers' website.
So I think I'm going to call it a night. Big day tomorrow!
Adios for now,
Dave the Goof
3 comments:
Dave,
I always cry at weddings - there's so much hope and promise. Congratulations! May your new son-in-law be a great blessing to all of you.
Beth
PS: The Slo-mo stuff is so fun to watch. I think it's seeing things that can't be seen with the naked eye that makes it so fascinating. Plus, those people attempt some crazy, fun stuff.
I only know Pete Rose over the cheating thing also. Not cause I don't like baseball, but because baseball stats is something I've never cared to really learn.
I love that violin picture. Can't wait to check out the rest of the gallery.
Beth: Paul seems like a good egg. And I think you're right about the slow-mo thing. It's cool to see things clearly that you normally can't see at all...
KC: Man, Pete accomplished sooo much! It's a shame people don't remember and honor him for that. I guess there's a lesson in there somewhere, eh?
And KC, if you're not an author, you need to be. Your name is perfect. It would look great on a dust jacket, or being introduced to a large crowd at some convention somewhere...
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