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Dress rehearsal at the Chinese Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photos include 17 from 2011, 30 from 2010, and 10 from 2007. Date: Feb 5, 2011 |
It hit me today: a story *stores* an event / experience for future use. Am I the last one to realize this?
As with many epiphanies, the never-thought becomes the obvious.
Brick (2 1/2 stars)
I wish I could recommend this movie, at least to die hard Joseph Gordon-Levitt fans (looking towards MR, and AE, if I remember correctly), but I can’t, really. There are a lot of interesting things about this movie, but not so much the movie itself. Take any of the film noir movies involving tough guys and shady dames and update the time to current day high school. Let JGL play the Bogey role. Sounds more interesting that it turns out – not that it turns out bad, this is no stinker. The dialog is amazingly true to its inspiration / conceit. I don’t think there was one obscenity. The violence involves serious beatings / fights and one too-well-done execution. Still, Lucas Haas as the kingpin – excellent – as inspired as Sidney Greenstreet. There were a few moments where the teen underworld brushed the middle-class suburban context, where mom dotes over a visiting boy or a thug talks about a book, that make me think they played it too straight; a little more of that (“There’s the Boss, and his mom.”) might have made this too camp, but more enjoyable.
It was on this day in 2004 that 19-year-old student Mark Zuckerburg launched the website Facebook out of his Harvard dorm room. [hat tip to Walking Raven]
Mammogram by Jo McDougall | The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor
It was on this day in 2004 that 19-year-old student Mark Zuckerburg launched the website Facebook out of his Harvard dorm room. One year earlier, he had been disciplined by the school for creating a site called Facemash, which hacked into online dorm sites and paired ID photos of two Harvard students at a time, asking viewers to rate which of them was more attractive. Facemash didn’t go over well with most of the campus. He had to dismantle the site, but he wasn’t expelled. A year later, he picked up on an idea that a few other students had, to create an online social site, and he ran with it. Facebook was a hit from the beginning.
Facebook began as a social network for Harvard only, and then expanded to other Ivy League schools, then slowly to college campuses across the country. In 2005 it started opening networks in high schools, and by a year later, anyone over the age of 13 with a valid e-mail address was allowed to join. As of now, there are more than 500 million users worldwide, and the company is valued at more than $43 billion.
Last year Facebook became the subject of a film, The Social Network (2010).
Mammogram by Jo McDougall | The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor
Chinese New Year in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Once again, Merri and I attended the dress rehearsal of the Chinese Cultural Center’s Chinese New Year Celebration. Performances include the community dancing and fighting with swords, sticks, and fans. It’s fun and colorful and the culmination of years of preparation and practice. Bring a chair and a hat – it’s outside the center on Saturday, February 5, 2011, at 1pm.
Photos include 17 from 2011, 30 from 2010, and 10 from 2007.
Gail Rubin has videos on YouTube.
Birds of prey
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Mostly in Albuquerque or elsewhere in New Mexico. Date: Feb 2, 2011 |
Sheep do not usually have to work hard. Good things just happen naturally.
THE SHEEP
Sheep are the good samaritans of the Chinese zodiac. They are gentle mannered and on the shy side. Being very sincere they are easily taken by a sob story. Sheep people are compassionate,understanding of others’ faults, and quick to forgive.
Sheep like to set their own hours and will not tolerate too much discipline. They are also very offended if they are criticized. They cannot work well under pressure and must be allowed to do things at their own speed. Sheep need somebody to discipline them, though, in order to utilize their talents. They usually find someone to look after and care for them.
Good fortune smiles upon the sheep. They benefit from wills and inheritances. Even in the roughest of times, the Sheep always acquire the basic needs. Sheep get their own way without force or violence. They have that passive endurance that drives you mad. Eventually they wear you down with their pleas.You just can’t break them!
Sheep never come right out and discuss what’s bothering them. You pry it out of them bit by bit. When all else fails, yell at them, and bang things around. They should be impressed and might unfold all their secret woes; then, you can clear the air. The Sheep are family people. They never forget anyone’s birthday, and you had better not forget theirs! Sheep worry, too. They want others to cheer them up and tell them everything will be okay.
Sheep overspend and should avoid dealing with money. They find it hard to be practical and would love a life of luxury and ease. Ugly things will depress Sheep. They hate to displease anyone especially their loved ones. They will edge around an issue rather than take a firm stand. Difficulties are a delicate issue with Sheep. They are too sensitive and often overreact. Reassure them often.
Romance is a part of the Sheep’s being. Moonlight and roses, soft music and candlelight will get them every time. They tend to view the world through rose-colored glasses. Sheep do not usually have to work hard. Good things just happen naturally. They need bright, airy surroundings and excel in creative fields. Appreciation of their talents make Sheep glow, and with encouragement, they can go far in life.
