wood console to the vast wasteland

I had the task of clearing and cleaning my mother in-law's house after she passed away a few years ago.  One of the items I had taken away was Betty's old Curtis Mathis wood console television set.  I remember it being in use when Gina and I were dating.  When it broke, the television sat in the same corner of the den with another television sitting on it.  It was used in that capacity for almost a decade.  Eventually the old console was moved to her garage and sat there until she died. I offered on several occasions if she needed me to haul it off for her.  She always politely declined.

A wood television console is kind of like catching a mermaid, too much fish to kiss and too much woman to throw back in.  The wood console television was too much furniture for Betty to have hauled off as junk.  Even though the old wood grained units were crafted to look like furniture, they were still just too much electronics to re-purpose (though some have tried). Most of these units eventually were kicked to the curb.

the moon left before evening

All these years passed and I am still a little pissed at Keith.  He was so full of energy, spunk and awesome talent.  I still enjoy listening to him ~ enJOY watching him on old videos.  I guess he was just determined, kept accelerating, refused to grow beyond his youth.  All these years passed and I am still a little pissed at him.

Mad Max Returns

Max Rockatansky

My wife had zero interest in seeing Mad Max: Fury Road and so I ventured the late show last night.  I wasn't really sure if I was going to like the new Mad Max sans Mel, but once the movie started, I was taken into the familiar post apocalyptic world and took Tom Hardy in as Max withing the first few minutes of the picture.  The story is as good as the best of the original three, Road Warrior, the second one.

It doesn't take long before this savage road picture gets rolling.  The odd band of good guys are thrown together in a life and death struggle, the bad guys are just as evil as prior Road Warrior installments, and everyone is absolutely fearless.

George Miller could've taken the movie over the top, but thankfully he seemed to reign it in a little.  I'm glad he didn't try to take us beyond Thunder Dome.  This time he told us a good story - to the edge and back again.  It's a gritty, bazaar world - but nothing that seemed to reach further beyond the better of it's prequels. Fury Road runs through the same mad world.  It isn't a retelling of the Mad Max saga, it's merely a different gauntlet of fire and death.  I enjoyed the ride.

Nux

The Mad Max movies have always introduced unusual, likeable mad characters, and this one delivered as well. Nux, played my Nicholas Hoult is my favorite character to emerge from this movie. I won't spoil it for you, but this fanatical fellow was fun to watch - not quite knowing what to expect of him as the plot progressed. Good stuff.

Miller delivered the goods this time around and it was well worth the price of admission.

race and laughter

I watched a few of Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts on YouTube. I am surprised by all the racial jokes on the show.  They were all up there jabbing at each other mercilessly and without holding back. It was all taken in fun, Everyone up on the dias had a great time taking verbally abusing and insulting each other.  It made me think about how far we've come since those days. I don't mean far for the better. I mean everyone today is so sensitive and too easily offended. Too many people have become emotionally fragile thanks to the intolerance of Political Correctness. PC has pretty much ruined it for comedy. I happen to think there is more healing in laughter between the races.

We'll always have Paris.

Leonard Nimoy
March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015

Mission Impossible was produced by Desilu, the same production company that produced Star Trek.  If you watch Mission Impossible, you'll discover many Star Trek actors beamed down to guest star on the show.  Leonard Nimoy actually played a leading character, Paris, on Mission Impossible for seasons four and five.  I am just now getting around to watch these two seasons.  I just wasn't interested at the time.  To me it was odd seeing Spock playing in spy thrillers.  I wasn't used to seeing him without his Vulcan bowl-cut and his pointy ears.

Nimoy was first considered for Mission Impossible from it's inception, but Nimoy was garnering fame as Spock.  After his mission was over in deep space, he picked up the roll of a IMF agent, Paris, a master of disguise and impersonations.  Nimoy had initially signed a five year contract as Paris, but playing the master of disguise left him frustrated with a shallow role that kept him from developing his Paris character.  True, there wasn't much depth to Paris, but he always seemed to get the job done.  Nimoy begged out of his five year contract with hopes of finding more substantial rolls.

For the last month or two, I have Mission Impossible on My List on Netflix.  I've been catching up on these missed seasons.  I am enjoying watching Nimoy play outside of his Spock character.  After all these years, I guess I've gotten kind of tired of the old Vulcan, having lost the novelty of seeing him reappear time and time again on the television shows and in the movies.  It's quite refreshing to see Nimoy play someone else for a change. 

I was really attached to Spock as a child, but I find it refreshing to stumble across him in guest starring rolls in all the various shows throughout the 60's and 70's.

I just heard where Leonard Nimoy has passed away.  He has left us a body of work that will keep us entertained for years to come. He will be missed on this Earth, but we will continue to see him around.