Oddvark(OC): Feckless, where do you think we'll be in ten years? What do you think we will be doing?
Feckless(FP): I used to think that we would be traveling across America towing a small teardrop trailer behind our car or truck. Now, I don't know. Maybe we will still be able to do that, but things are changing so rapidly that it is very hard to plan for the future.
OC: Do you think that we'll be able to support ourselves in our old age?
FP: Heck, we barely support ourselves now. You live in a storage unit and I live in a squalid one room efficiency. As long as we can work a little and do odd jobs we'll probably do alright as long as our health holds out.
OC: What happens if our health doesn't hold out?
FP: If our health doesn't hold out, then we will have to depend upon each other and the kindness of strangers.
OC: That sounds kind of bleak.
FP: Not at all. It's just another phase in the great adventure. Another panel in the rich tapestry of life. We will adapt and make adjustments. We will still cherish all the natural gifts God has given us. We will still have friends and family to comfort us. There will still be books to read, songs to sing, music on the radio, card games, old movies, sports, beer, food, and many other pleasures that make life worth living.
OC: I feel better now Feckless.
FP: I'm glad Oddvark. I forgot to mention, when we get older, no one will even notice that you skip a bath now and then.
OC: Is that right? Maybe I can cut back to twice a week then.
FP: Always look for the silver lining, that's my motto.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
Feckless(FP): So Oddvark, what did you think of that film we watched tonight?
Oddvark(OC): It was different. Not for every movie buff.
FP: I think it was a colosal exercise in solipsism.
OP: What's solipsism?
FP: Philosophically speaking, it's the theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified. The self is the only reality.
OP: How is that different than narcissim?
FP: Narcissim is the excessive love of oneself. A person can believe that their personal reality is the only reality without being love with themselves. In fact, a solipsist might hate his reality and therefore himself. I'm not sure the character in Synecdoche is in love with himself, though he might be. He definitely fears death and the aging process.
OC: I can relate to that.
FP: We all can. This is one of the poignant elements of the human condition. After we reach adolescence, we all know that we are going to die. We walk around all day, functioning or sometimes not functioning, knowing that someday we are going to lose everything and everyone that ever mattered to us.
OC: Pass the tequila dude.
FP: Yes Oddvark, it can be overwhelming to contemplate. That is one problem with the movie. It is filled with symbolism and it delves into subjects that are difficult to express and examine. I think a person needs to view Synecdoche a number of times before it reveals all its secrets. That becomes a little too much like work and less like entertainment.
OC: Are you saying it makes your head hurt?
FP: Yes, something like that. Philip Seymore Hoffman deliveres a terrific performance. The supporting cast is also terrific. It's just that the material is very dense. It's really hard slogging and much of the material is also depressing.
OC: Can I choose the next film Feckless?
FP: As long as it doesn't make me blush.
Oddvark(OC): It was different. Not for every movie buff.
FP: I think it was a colosal exercise in solipsism.
OP: What's solipsism?
FP: Philosophically speaking, it's the theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified. The self is the only reality.
OP: How is that different than narcissim?
FP: Narcissim is the excessive love of oneself. A person can believe that their personal reality is the only reality without being love with themselves. In fact, a solipsist might hate his reality and therefore himself. I'm not sure the character in Synecdoche is in love with himself, though he might be. He definitely fears death and the aging process.
OC: I can relate to that.
FP: We all can. This is one of the poignant elements of the human condition. After we reach adolescence, we all know that we are going to die. We walk around all day, functioning or sometimes not functioning, knowing that someday we are going to lose everything and everyone that ever mattered to us.
OC: Pass the tequila dude.
FP: Yes Oddvark, it can be overwhelming to contemplate. That is one problem with the movie. It is filled with symbolism and it delves into subjects that are difficult to express and examine. I think a person needs to view Synecdoche a number of times before it reveals all its secrets. That becomes a little too much like work and less like entertainment.
OC: Are you saying it makes your head hurt?
FP: Yes, something like that. Philip Seymore Hoffman deliveres a terrific performance. The supporting cast is also terrific. It's just that the material is very dense. It's really hard slogging and much of the material is also depressing.
OC: Can I choose the next film Feckless?
FP: As long as it doesn't make me blush.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
OIL & RECOVERY
Feckless(FP): Wow Oddvark, did you see what the stock market did yesterday? The Dow rose almost 500 points.
Oddvark(OC): I was concentrating on something else.
FP: A Cuban sandwich and a bottle of Newcastle Ale no doubt.
OC: No, I mean I was concentrating on another part of the financial picture.
FP: You surprise me Oddvark. Why would a person of such modest means be interested in the financial picture.
OC: Ultimately, it effects all of us. If the cost of storage units goes up, where will I sleep?
FP: I see, so what did you notice yesterday?
OC: I noticed that the price of oil rose by nearly 2%. I have been noticing it inching up lately. I think this due primarily to two factors. The first factor is that the price of oil is tied to the U.S. dollar. Because the government has been pumping so many dollars into the financial system lately, the value of the dollar has slipped relative to other world currencies. Consequently, the price of oil must go up in order for it to maintain its intrinsic value relative to the sliding dollar its value is measured in. The second factor is less important now. That factor is worldwide demand, which is still pretty cool at the moment. However, if it should heat up, the rise in the price of oil could accelerate due to basic suppply/demand principles. Combined with the economic bailout, this could make recovery even more difficult than we anticipate. As the world economy begins to recover, the demand for petroleum products is bound to rise. As demand rises, coincident with billions of new dollars flooding into the financial system, the price of oil will rise. Since our economy is so dependent upon petroleum products for energy, materials and transportation, rising oil prices are bound to have a negative impact upon the pace of recovery. It will be like climbing a staircase that gets steeper with every step you take. In addition, as the economy heats up and the price of oil becomes more dear, any interruption in the flow of oil (geopolitical) will have a magnified impact upon the price of oil. Thus any geopolitical instability in oil producing regions during the recovery period could sabotage the recovery.
FP: Oddvark, that is an interesting analysis. Won't our move towards renewable energy sources avoid many of the problems you identified?
OC: Yes, eventually. However, large-scale alternative energy production is still at least 10 years away. The economic crisis is now and will continue for at least another year or two.
FP: Is there anything happening on the methane front?
OC: I'm doing all I can. Break out the beanie weenies and brew.
Oddvark(OC): I was concentrating on something else.
FP: A Cuban sandwich and a bottle of Newcastle Ale no doubt.
OC: No, I mean I was concentrating on another part of the financial picture.
FP: You surprise me Oddvark. Why would a person of such modest means be interested in the financial picture.
OC: Ultimately, it effects all of us. If the cost of storage units goes up, where will I sleep?
FP: I see, so what did you notice yesterday?
OC: I noticed that the price of oil rose by nearly 2%. I have been noticing it inching up lately. I think this due primarily to two factors. The first factor is that the price of oil is tied to the U.S. dollar. Because the government has been pumping so many dollars into the financial system lately, the value of the dollar has slipped relative to other world currencies. Consequently, the price of oil must go up in order for it to maintain its intrinsic value relative to the sliding dollar its value is measured in. The second factor is less important now. That factor is worldwide demand, which is still pretty cool at the moment. However, if it should heat up, the rise in the price of oil could accelerate due to basic suppply/demand principles. Combined with the economic bailout, this could make recovery even more difficult than we anticipate. As the world economy begins to recover, the demand for petroleum products is bound to rise. As demand rises, coincident with billions of new dollars flooding into the financial system, the price of oil will rise. Since our economy is so dependent upon petroleum products for energy, materials and transportation, rising oil prices are bound to have a negative impact upon the pace of recovery. It will be like climbing a staircase that gets steeper with every step you take. In addition, as the economy heats up and the price of oil becomes more dear, any interruption in the flow of oil (geopolitical) will have a magnified impact upon the price of oil. Thus any geopolitical instability in oil producing regions during the recovery period could sabotage the recovery.
FP: Oddvark, that is an interesting analysis. Won't our move towards renewable energy sources avoid many of the problems you identified?
OC: Yes, eventually. However, large-scale alternative energy production is still at least 10 years away. The economic crisis is now and will continue for at least another year or two.
FP: Is there anything happening on the methane front?
OC: I'm doing all I can. Break out the beanie weenies and brew.
Friday, March 20, 2009
RIP BIG MOE
Feckless (FP): I just got a call this morning;Big Mo died.
Oddvark (OC): You're kidding. I thought that guy was indestructible.
FP: Yeah, me too. He was like a force of nature. I didn't always like his behavior, but I envied his sense of freedom. Big Mo seldom did anything he didn't want to do and almost always did the things he wanted to do.
OC: Yeah, we had some great times in Gainesville back in the day.
FP: Gainesville was one of Mo's towns. The other was Atlanta. Big Mo loved Gainesville and Atlanta. He loved the Florida Gators. He loved women. He loved Jack Daniels whiskey.
OC: Yeah, he loved Aerosmith's version of Train Keep A'Rollin and Salty Dog Blues by Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs.
FP: That' right, I can still hear him crooning, "Honey let me be your salty dog."
OC: Oh the stories that we could tell.
FP: Big Mo's exploits were the stuff that novels are made of.
OC: He will be missed.
FP: Let's hoist a glass (double shot of course)of Jack Daniels to Big Mo King, the King of the Chamberlain Rowdys. May he find green grass and high tides where he has gone. Till we meet again at that Gator Growl in the sky.
Oddvark (OC): You're kidding. I thought that guy was indestructible.
FP: Yeah, me too. He was like a force of nature. I didn't always like his behavior, but I envied his sense of freedom. Big Mo seldom did anything he didn't want to do and almost always did the things he wanted to do.
OC: Yeah, we had some great times in Gainesville back in the day.
FP: Gainesville was one of Mo's towns. The other was Atlanta. Big Mo loved Gainesville and Atlanta. He loved the Florida Gators. He loved women. He loved Jack Daniels whiskey.
OC: Yeah, he loved Aerosmith's version of Train Keep A'Rollin and Salty Dog Blues by Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs.
FP: That' right, I can still hear him crooning, "Honey let me be your salty dog."
OC: Oh the stories that we could tell.
FP: Big Mo's exploits were the stuff that novels are made of.
OC: He will be missed.
FP: Let's hoist a glass (double shot of course)of Jack Daniels to Big Mo King, the King of the Chamberlain Rowdys. May he find green grass and high tides where he has gone. Till we meet again at that Gator Growl in the sky.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
OLDIES BUT GOODIES
Feckless(FP): Oddvark and I have been seeing a lot of old movies lately.
Oddvark(OC): That's right Feckless; some of them have been pretty darn good.
FP: We saw a terrific murder mystery called Lured the other night. The lead actress was Lucille Ball of all people. Can you imagine Lucille Ball in a murder mystery?
OC: Remember, that film was made in 1947, before Lucy & Dezi were on television. Wasn't Boris Karloff in that film?
FP: Yes, that's right Oddvark. Lured must have made quite an impression on you. Most of the films we see together disappear from your memory before you have your midnight snack. Unfortunately, Karloff appears for only a brief time in the picture. He plays a wonderful madman. The film also stars the great George Sanders and features a solid performance by Charles Coburn.
OC: Didn't we see that Coburn fellow in something else recently?
FP: Yes, we saw him in The Devil and Miss Jones with Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings and Edmund Gwenn. A charming little film that combines a prince and the pauper plot with a labor relations plot. I thought it unusual in that one of its sub-plots involves a love story between two late middle-aged people. One doesn't often find that sort of plot line in movies released in the early 1940's.
OC: You sure know your movies Feckless.
FP: And you know your adult beverages Oddvark, this world is big enough for us all to indulge our hobbies.
OC: What was that movie we saw about the ships?
FP: Oh, you must mean That Hamilton Woman, starring Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier?
OC: If you say so. I liked those fancy uniforms the sailers were wearing. And that beautiful actress that sached about the whole movie.
FP: That was Vivien Leigh. She was very beautiful. She was perfect for the role of Lady Hamilton, just as she was perfect for the role of Scarlet O'Hara. She had a reputation of being difficult to work with. I'm glad some directors stuck with it because the results are terrific.
OC: What was the title of the film we saw tonight Feckless?
FP: Tonight we saw Separate Tables, a melodrama about lonely people living in a boarding house in England. It is based on a play by Terence Rattigan and directed by Delbert Mann. Even though this film is not played on TV very often, it produced two Oscar winners, David Niven for Best Actor and Wendy Hiller for Best Supporting Actress. It also features Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr (nominated for Best Actress), and Rita Hayworth.
OC: What a blockbuster cast! There wasn't much action though.
FP: No, not much action. It was more of a character study. It exposes the audience to a slice of the human dilemma. It examines the dynamics of several people who are not related, but live in close proximity to each other. What it lacks in cinematographic fireworks it make up for with extremely well written dialogue.
OC: Speaking of character studies, that was a pretty good party we went to this afternoon.
FP: Yes, it was so nice seeing so many of our old friends. We've lost a couple in the last few years. Now we make it a point to see our old friends whenever the opportunity presents itself. We were young together and now we are growing old together. Once there were some rivalries, but now there seems to be nothing but respect, camaraderie and affection.
OC: They had a keg too.
FP: Yes Oddvark, they had a keg too.
Oddvark(OC): That's right Feckless; some of them have been pretty darn good.
FP: We saw a terrific murder mystery called Lured the other night. The lead actress was Lucille Ball of all people. Can you imagine Lucille Ball in a murder mystery?
OC: Remember, that film was made in 1947, before Lucy & Dezi were on television. Wasn't Boris Karloff in that film?
FP: Yes, that's right Oddvark. Lured must have made quite an impression on you. Most of the films we see together disappear from your memory before you have your midnight snack. Unfortunately, Karloff appears for only a brief time in the picture. He plays a wonderful madman. The film also stars the great George Sanders and features a solid performance by Charles Coburn.
OC: Didn't we see that Coburn fellow in something else recently?
FP: Yes, we saw him in The Devil and Miss Jones with Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings and Edmund Gwenn. A charming little film that combines a prince and the pauper plot with a labor relations plot. I thought it unusual in that one of its sub-plots involves a love story between two late middle-aged people. One doesn't often find that sort of plot line in movies released in the early 1940's.
OC: You sure know your movies Feckless.
FP: And you know your adult beverages Oddvark, this world is big enough for us all to indulge our hobbies.
OC: What was that movie we saw about the ships?
FP: Oh, you must mean That Hamilton Woman, starring Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier?
OC: If you say so. I liked those fancy uniforms the sailers were wearing. And that beautiful actress that sached about the whole movie.
FP: That was Vivien Leigh. She was very beautiful. She was perfect for the role of Lady Hamilton, just as she was perfect for the role of Scarlet O'Hara. She had a reputation of being difficult to work with. I'm glad some directors stuck with it because the results are terrific.
OC: What was the title of the film we saw tonight Feckless?
FP: Tonight we saw Separate Tables, a melodrama about lonely people living in a boarding house in England. It is based on a play by Terence Rattigan and directed by Delbert Mann. Even though this film is not played on TV very often, it produced two Oscar winners, David Niven for Best Actor and Wendy Hiller for Best Supporting Actress. It also features Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr (nominated for Best Actress), and Rita Hayworth.
OC: What a blockbuster cast! There wasn't much action though.
FP: No, not much action. It was more of a character study. It exposes the audience to a slice of the human dilemma. It examines the dynamics of several people who are not related, but live in close proximity to each other. What it lacks in cinematographic fireworks it make up for with extremely well written dialogue.
OC: Speaking of character studies, that was a pretty good party we went to this afternoon.
FP: Yes, it was so nice seeing so many of our old friends. We've lost a couple in the last few years. Now we make it a point to see our old friends whenever the opportunity presents itself. We were young together and now we are growing old together. Once there were some rivalries, but now there seems to be nothing but respect, camaraderie and affection.
OC: They had a keg too.
FP: Yes Oddvark, they had a keg too.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
WALK IN THE PARK
Feckless (FP): Oddvark and I took a walk in the park this afternoon. It has been a long time since I was out in nature. The temperature was just right and most of the hiking path was shaded. Say Oddvark, what did you think of that nature trail we walked today?
Oddvark (OC): It was terrific! We saw an eagle, a wild magnolia, and a great looking chick taking a jog around the park.
FP: Yeah, they also had some nice picnicing facilities and even a small campground with several cords of wood stacked up for the fire ring.
OC: That's right, I'd like to pitch my tent out there for a couple of nights before it gets too hot.
FP: We can do that, but you'll have to use those porta-johns when nature calls.
OC: No way, I'll take care of business in the woods.
FP: You used those drop toilets in Oregon last year didn't you.
OC: Hell no! I opened the door to one of those thing and I almost vomited. The fumes coming out of those things would kill a rhino.
FP: You mean to tell me that you went three days without answering the call of nature.
OC: Are you kidding? With all that beer, beenie weenies and beef jerky I was putting down. When I felt the urge I just climbed up the mountain and planted myself behind the biggest tree I could find. There's no way anyone could see me and I didn't have to expose myself to those noxious fumes.
FP: Oddvark, you're a pig. Civilized people don't go in the woods.
OC: In this case I would say I was more like a bear than a pig. Besides, I dig swine. Anyway, how come it's OK for the wild animals to poop all over the place, but if I do it you make it sound nasty.
FP: Well for one thing, there aren't 6.5 billion wild animals in the Oregon woods. Can you imagine what a mess we would have if everyone on earth decided they were going to go au'naturale from now on. Disease would run rampant.
OC: I use the facilities when I'm in town. I just like to make like a bear when I'm in the woods. I bet you couldn't get a bear to set foot in one of those drop toilets.
FC: Oddvark, it is just a convention that has been agreed upon by civilized society. One way that we guage the level of our civilization is how far removed from wild animals we are. Wild animals are not very good at following rules. They are governed by instinct. Since humankind can communicate and understand rules, one way of distancing ourselves from our wild ancestors is by adopting rules and enforcing them. This is one of the origins of morality, religion and the social contract. If we don't adopt and agree to follow rules, we might regress to become more like wild animals. You don't want to live like a wild animal do you Oddvark?
OC: I like pretending I'm a bear when I'm in the woods.
FP: Bears don't brew and distribute oatmeal stout and beef jerky.
OC: You gotta be shitin me!
Oddvark (OC): It was terrific! We saw an eagle, a wild magnolia, and a great looking chick taking a jog around the park.
FP: Yeah, they also had some nice picnicing facilities and even a small campground with several cords of wood stacked up for the fire ring.
OC: That's right, I'd like to pitch my tent out there for a couple of nights before it gets too hot.
FP: We can do that, but you'll have to use those porta-johns when nature calls.
OC: No way, I'll take care of business in the woods.
FP: You used those drop toilets in Oregon last year didn't you.
OC: Hell no! I opened the door to one of those thing and I almost vomited. The fumes coming out of those things would kill a rhino.
FP: You mean to tell me that you went three days without answering the call of nature.
OC: Are you kidding? With all that beer, beenie weenies and beef jerky I was putting down. When I felt the urge I just climbed up the mountain and planted myself behind the biggest tree I could find. There's no way anyone could see me and I didn't have to expose myself to those noxious fumes.
FP: Oddvark, you're a pig. Civilized people don't go in the woods.
OC: In this case I would say I was more like a bear than a pig. Besides, I dig swine. Anyway, how come it's OK for the wild animals to poop all over the place, but if I do it you make it sound nasty.
FP: Well for one thing, there aren't 6.5 billion wild animals in the Oregon woods. Can you imagine what a mess we would have if everyone on earth decided they were going to go au'naturale from now on. Disease would run rampant.
OC: I use the facilities when I'm in town. I just like to make like a bear when I'm in the woods. I bet you couldn't get a bear to set foot in one of those drop toilets.
FC: Oddvark, it is just a convention that has been agreed upon by civilized society. One way that we guage the level of our civilization is how far removed from wild animals we are. Wild animals are not very good at following rules. They are governed by instinct. Since humankind can communicate and understand rules, one way of distancing ourselves from our wild ancestors is by adopting rules and enforcing them. This is one of the origins of morality, religion and the social contract. If we don't adopt and agree to follow rules, we might regress to become more like wild animals. You don't want to live like a wild animal do you Oddvark?
OC: I like pretending I'm a bear when I'm in the woods.
FP: Bears don't brew and distribute oatmeal stout and beef jerky.
OC: You gotta be shitin me!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
BEFORE THE DEVEL KNOWS YOUR DEAD
Feckless(FP): So Oddvark, what did you think about that movie we saw last night?
Oddvark (OC): Man, I thought we were disfunctional. That family in the movie made us look like boy scouts.
FP: Yeah in Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, the audience gets to see what happens to one family when members of that family abandon a purpose driven life and lose their souls to the material world that surrounds them.
OC: Lose their souls is right. All for the love of money. I'd rather be poor and decent than be rich and monstrous.
FP: You're right! Oddvark you're a success. Who'd of thunk it.
OC: A success, nobody has every called me that before. Take it back.
FP: Oddvark, I was complementing you. Now I'll pass out a few more complements. Philip Seymor Hoffman was excellent, as usual, in Devil...Dead. His ability to portray wide ranges of emotion is impressive. There are also some great naughty pictures of Marisa Tomei. She still looks good. Yum,yum! Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney deliver fine supporting performances. Sydney Lumet directs this fascinating crime drama about a jewelry store heist that goes wrong. The twist is that the store is owned by the robbers parents. Marisa Tomei's character brings to mind a line from Hank Williams' Lovesick Blues, "she'll do me, she'll do you, she's got that kind of lovin". I for one was glad to see her in action.
OC: You got a crush on Marisa Tomei.
FP: You got a crush on oatmeal stout.
OC: The finest substance made by the hand of man. As long as I have my oatmeal stout, I'll be a happy man.
Oddvark (OC): Man, I thought we were disfunctional. That family in the movie made us look like boy scouts.
FP: Yeah in Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, the audience gets to see what happens to one family when members of that family abandon a purpose driven life and lose their souls to the material world that surrounds them.
OC: Lose their souls is right. All for the love of money. I'd rather be poor and decent than be rich and monstrous.
FP: You're right! Oddvark you're a success. Who'd of thunk it.
OC: A success, nobody has every called me that before. Take it back.
FP: Oddvark, I was complementing you. Now I'll pass out a few more complements. Philip Seymor Hoffman was excellent, as usual, in Devil...Dead. His ability to portray wide ranges of emotion is impressive. There are also some great naughty pictures of Marisa Tomei. She still looks good. Yum,yum! Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney deliver fine supporting performances. Sydney Lumet directs this fascinating crime drama about a jewelry store heist that goes wrong. The twist is that the store is owned by the robbers parents. Marisa Tomei's character brings to mind a line from Hank Williams' Lovesick Blues, "she'll do me, she'll do you, she's got that kind of lovin". I for one was glad to see her in action.
OC: You got a crush on Marisa Tomei.
FP: You got a crush on oatmeal stout.
OC: The finest substance made by the hand of man. As long as I have my oatmeal stout, I'll be a happy man.
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