The new Star Wars has been out 2 days so of course I have seen it twice. I went first to the AMC in Mesquite, Texas, to see it in 3D. The seats were skinny. I had to squeeze into my seat. The food preparation was pretty slow. I would not recommend the AMC chain in general, especially after they banned masks and face paint.
Next, I went to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Richardson. I loved watching the film here. My family showed up in costume (I was Darth Vader) and we enjoyed people taking photos of us in costume. There were R2-D2 robots that moved around an beeped. Other people were in costume. As soon as the theater was open for seating they started humorous film clips from Star Wars fans that were awesome. When our feature was over the serious Star Wars fans in full costume were in the lobby. I had a Darth Vader mask and a printed chest plate. There was a full-up Vader in the lobby with a full helmet, real chest plate with lights, and a first rate light saber. There was a full-up Imperial Storm Trooper.
Alamo Drafthouse is the place to be to watch Star Wars!
Robert
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Gil Selasky at Toyota of Plano
In November I purchased a 2016 Toyota Camry from Gil Selasky at Toyota of Plano. I had intended to mention to my neighbors that November and December is a good time to purchase a new car. It is now December 13 and have let too much time pass. However, before December is over, I want to share with my neighbors that I got good service from Gil Selasky at Toyota of Plano and that Toyota of Plano did live up to their advertisements. I was very pleased with both Gil Selasky and Toyota of Plan.
When I told Gil Selasky that I preferred a different type of suspension on my Camry, he knew exactly where in the large Toyota car lot there was a car to my liking. He was very knowledgeable. He did not have to look up the location in a computer. He did not ask anyone else. Gil Selasky knew his inventory. He was very capable and helpful. He connected my phone to the blue tooth system in my car. That was great!
I delayed in recommending Mr. Selasky. Don't you delay in shopping. There are business reasons for car dealerships to push for sales in November and December. I will also mention that when I went shopping there was a great selection. If you wait, your selection might diminish.
Robert
When I told Gil Selasky that I preferred a different type of suspension on my Camry, he knew exactly where in the large Toyota car lot there was a car to my liking. He was very knowledgeable. He did not have to look up the location in a computer. He did not ask anyone else. Gil Selasky knew his inventory. He was very capable and helpful. He connected my phone to the blue tooth system in my car. That was great!
I delayed in recommending Mr. Selasky. Don't you delay in shopping. There are business reasons for car dealerships to push for sales in November and December. I will also mention that when I went shopping there was a great selection. If you wait, your selection might diminish.
Robert
Royal Night Out is a Funny Film
I just saw "A Royal Night Out" and enjoyed it immensely. You have the two princesses out on the town, in the fashion of "A Roman Holiday." But you also have two bungling officers who were supposed to chaperon the princesses, but form a side story of humorous bungling reminiscent of R2D2 and C3PO in Star Wars. Emily Watson was a pleasure to watch, as always. The show is PG-13 and made me laugh.
Robert
Robert
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Nice Sentences in The Lighthouse by P.D. James
P.D. James is a successful mystery writer. I just finished The Lighthouse. I expected a nice British mystery, which it was, but I was also pleasantly surprised by some nice sentences, sentences that made my stop and read them again.
There is a nice sentence at the end of this paragraph, but I cannot pull the sentence out. It needs to be read in context:
They walked across the headland path to Seal Cottage without speaking. Behind them the lit window of the great house and the distant pinpoints of light from the cottages only intensified the silence. With the setting of the sun, the illusion of summer was erased. This was the air of late October, still unseasonably mild but with the first chill of autumn, the air faintly scented, as if the dying light had drawn up from the head land the concentrated sweetness of the day. The darkness would have been absolute but for the stars. Never had they seemed to Kate more multitudinous, more glittering or so close. They made of the furry darkness a mysterious luminosity, so that, looking down, she could see the narrow path as a faintly gleaming ribbon in which individual blades of grass glittered like small spears, silvered with light.
I think "furry darkness" needs more work, but it was a nice paragraph with a nice closing sentence. This was on page 215. The following long sentence describes transporting body. Kate is a female detective, Benton a male detective, and Maycroft is a civilian. This is one sentence. It reminds me of the generative style promoted by Francis Christensen. It is a nicely done sentence, found on page 308.
To Kate the whole scene was unreal, a bizarre and alien rite of passage: the fitful sunlight less strong now and a lively breeze lifting Maycroft's hair, the bright green of the cope like a gaudy shroud, herself and Benton grave-faced mourners walking behind the lumbering buggy, the body jolting from time to time as the wheels hit a hummock, the silence broken only by the sound of their progress, by the ever-present murmur of the sea and the occasional almost human shrieking of a flock of gulls which followed them, wings beating, as if this strange cortege offered a hope of scraps of bread.
Finally, the closing sentences of the book were satisfying. Emma is Dalgliesh's girl friend. It is Kate thinking at this time.
For Dalgliedsh and Emma, sitting behind her, this day was a new beginning. Perhaps for her, too, the future could be rich with infinite possibilities. Resolutely she turned her face to the east, to her job, to London, as the helicopter soared above a white tumble of clouds into the shining air.
That last sentence was a generative sentence after the fashion of Christensen. It is not a long sentence, but a generative sentence does not have to be long. It was very nicely done, appearing on page 383.
Google
Francis Christensen a generative rhetoric of the sentence
if you want to learn more about Francis Christensen.
It is a treat to find good writing along with good story telling!
Robert
There is a nice sentence at the end of this paragraph, but I cannot pull the sentence out. It needs to be read in context:
They walked across the headland path to Seal Cottage without speaking. Behind them the lit window of the great house and the distant pinpoints of light from the cottages only intensified the silence. With the setting of the sun, the illusion of summer was erased. This was the air of late October, still unseasonably mild but with the first chill of autumn, the air faintly scented, as if the dying light had drawn up from the head land the concentrated sweetness of the day. The darkness would have been absolute but for the stars. Never had they seemed to Kate more multitudinous, more glittering or so close. They made of the furry darkness a mysterious luminosity, so that, looking down, she could see the narrow path as a faintly gleaming ribbon in which individual blades of grass glittered like small spears, silvered with light.
I think "furry darkness" needs more work, but it was a nice paragraph with a nice closing sentence. This was on page 215. The following long sentence describes transporting body. Kate is a female detective, Benton a male detective, and Maycroft is a civilian. This is one sentence. It reminds me of the generative style promoted by Francis Christensen. It is a nicely done sentence, found on page 308.
To Kate the whole scene was unreal, a bizarre and alien rite of passage: the fitful sunlight less strong now and a lively breeze lifting Maycroft's hair, the bright green of the cope like a gaudy shroud, herself and Benton grave-faced mourners walking behind the lumbering buggy, the body jolting from time to time as the wheels hit a hummock, the silence broken only by the sound of their progress, by the ever-present murmur of the sea and the occasional almost human shrieking of a flock of gulls which followed them, wings beating, as if this strange cortege offered a hope of scraps of bread.
Finally, the closing sentences of the book were satisfying. Emma is Dalgliesh's girl friend. It is Kate thinking at this time.
For Dalgliedsh and Emma, sitting behind her, this day was a new beginning. Perhaps for her, too, the future could be rich with infinite possibilities. Resolutely she turned her face to the east, to her job, to London, as the helicopter soared above a white tumble of clouds into the shining air.
That last sentence was a generative sentence after the fashion of Christensen. It is not a long sentence, but a generative sentence does not have to be long. It was very nicely done, appearing on page 383.
Francis Christensen a generative rhetoric of the sentence
if you want to learn more about Francis Christensen.
It is a treat to find good writing along with good story telling!
Robert
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Great Guitar
There is a great guitar solo on an episode of House.
You can hear the segment from the House episode here on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAkW9I63b8M
The name of the youtube video is
House Guitar Season 6 ep 10
The music is a piece called Maggot Brain. It is on an album called Maggot Brain by a band called Funkadelic. Unfortunately, the album producer made a mess of the Maggot Brain piece, so the music in its entirety is awful. You need to edit the music down to just the good part, which is what you hear on the House episode. The way Maggot Brain was produced shows that talent without good taste is a waste.
The YouTube video above will lead you to other renditions and covers, like this one:
Improvisation guitar solo on maggot brain theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEAQM0l6TRg
Isn't that a beautiful Les Paul in this video?
Here is a version of Maggot Brain that is pretty good:
kidd funkadelic - maggot brain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aAzdHnYfuk
Kidd Funkadelic is Michael Hampton, who replaced original guitarist Eddie Hazel in the Funkadelic band. It was Eddie Hazel who first played Maggot Brain.
Here is Eddie Hazel and Funkadelic playing Brain Maggot in Germany, 1985. You have to listen to a few minutes of baloney before the music started.
The name of the YouTube video is Eddie Hazel & Mike Hampton - Maggot Brain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc8H6USGR90
The ridiculous ramblings of a confused mind are a waste of our time, but the rambling is not too long. I suppose it is worthwhile to be reminded of how confused some people are in their thinking. Although we are capable of rational thought, it takes a bit of practice to master rational, coherent thinking. We cannot take rational thought for granted!
Enjoy the music!
Robert
You can hear the segment from the House episode here on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAkW9I63b8M
The name of the youtube video is
House Guitar Season 6 ep 10
The music is a piece called Maggot Brain. It is on an album called Maggot Brain by a band called Funkadelic. Unfortunately, the album producer made a mess of the Maggot Brain piece, so the music in its entirety is awful. You need to edit the music down to just the good part, which is what you hear on the House episode. The way Maggot Brain was produced shows that talent without good taste is a waste.
The YouTube video above will lead you to other renditions and covers, like this one:
Improvisation guitar solo on maggot brain theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEAQM0l6TRg
Isn't that a beautiful Les Paul in this video?
Here is a version of Maggot Brain that is pretty good:
kidd funkadelic - maggot brain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aAzdHnYfuk
Kidd Funkadelic is Michael Hampton, who replaced original guitarist Eddie Hazel in the Funkadelic band. It was Eddie Hazel who first played Maggot Brain.
Here is Eddie Hazel and Funkadelic playing Brain Maggot in Germany, 1985. You have to listen to a few minutes of baloney before the music started.
The name of the YouTube video is Eddie Hazel & Mike Hampton - Maggot Brain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc8H6USGR90
The ridiculous ramblings of a confused mind are a waste of our time, but the rambling is not too long. I suppose it is worthwhile to be reminded of how confused some people are in their thinking. Although we are capable of rational thought, it takes a bit of practice to master rational, coherent thinking. We cannot take rational thought for granted!
Enjoy the music!
Robert
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Article About Yeats Poem The Second Coming
A nice article about Yeats's poem, "The Second Coming," was published by the Wall Street Journal on July 24, 2015. You can read the article by Googling "A Poet’s Apocalyptic Vision by David Lehman". I like the poem, but have not studied it, so I found it helpful to hear the poem was published in 1919, after World War I. That helps explain why this poem has a dark view. David Lehman wrote a nice essay and I recommend it.
Robert
You can read the poem online here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172062
Robert
You can read the poem online here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172062
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Kin Kin Thai Food in Fort Worth
While in Fort Worth today I had lunch at the Kin Kin Urban Thai restaurant at the corner of West 7th Street and Foch. I was very pleased with my meal. I had Yellow Curry Chicken Over Rice. The dish was beautiful on top of being delicious. It was described as being hot and spicy, but being a guy who enjoys a pile of jalapenos on top of my hamburger, I found the curry flavorful. My wife enjoyed her Chicken Pad Thai. For an appetizer we split an order of Crepe Spring Rolls. The restaurant was very attractive. It had what looked like a full bar, but it was off to the side so I barely noticed it.
Next time I go to the Kimbell Art Museum, I'll have lunch at Kin Kin. Continuing West on 7th Street, the street forks at University Blvd and I can veer left to Camp Bowie Blvd and drive on to the Kimbell, which is only 0.6 miles from the restaurant.
I will be visiting down town Fort Worth more often. It is only 55 minutes from my home, driving on Sam Rayburn and 121 all the way there. Highway 121 dead ends in downtown Ft. Worth.
Go through the down town. Do not take I-35. The 121-to-35-to-30 transition is a nightmare. When you get onto 35 from 121 going south towards 30, the exit to 30 comes too soon to get across all 3 lanes of crowded traffic. Sometimes the transition is impossible because the traffic is too thick. It is much better to enter the downtown and take a leisurely drive to the museums.
Highway 121 used to be horrible when you got near the airport, but they have made big improvements to that intersection and the traffic flows smoothly. Now the drive to down town Ft. Worth might even be more pleasant than the drive to down town Dallas.
I loved the Kin Kin Urban Thai restaurant; I recommend it. The food was delicious and beautiful. The restaurant was attractive and the servers were attentive.
Robert
PS: If you have had Thai food before and did not like it, I can say I have too. But give Kin Kin a chance. There is a very wide variety of Thai dishes and I can say that the food at Kin Kin that I had was fantastic.
Next time I go to the Kimbell Art Museum, I'll have lunch at Kin Kin. Continuing West on 7th Street, the street forks at University Blvd and I can veer left to Camp Bowie Blvd and drive on to the Kimbell, which is only 0.6 miles from the restaurant.
I will be visiting down town Fort Worth more often. It is only 55 minutes from my home, driving on Sam Rayburn and 121 all the way there. Highway 121 dead ends in downtown Ft. Worth.
Go through the down town. Do not take I-35. The 121-to-35-to-30 transition is a nightmare. When you get onto 35 from 121 going south towards 30, the exit to 30 comes too soon to get across all 3 lanes of crowded traffic. Sometimes the transition is impossible because the traffic is too thick. It is much better to enter the downtown and take a leisurely drive to the museums.
Highway 121 used to be horrible when you got near the airport, but they have made big improvements to that intersection and the traffic flows smoothly. Now the drive to down town Ft. Worth might even be more pleasant than the drive to down town Dallas.
I loved the Kin Kin Urban Thai restaurant; I recommend it. The food was delicious and beautiful. The restaurant was attractive and the servers were attentive.
Robert
PS: If you have had Thai food before and did not like it, I can say I have too. But give Kin Kin a chance. There is a very wide variety of Thai dishes and I can say that the food at Kin Kin that I had was fantastic.
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