Rich Wallace's Blog, page 3

movie review

"Buck" is the best movie I've seen in a long time.

Bought new running shoes yesterday.

Had beans and rice for lunch today.

That's about it for now.

the government

When one of my sons was in seventh grade, I got a phone call asking me to come to the principal's office. The boy had punched out another kid after gym class. The kid had been harrassing my boy for several days. When he'd had enough, my son belted him in the mouth. He got several days detention. I told the principal that I was really proud of my son and would advise him to do the same if a similar situation ever occurred. It never did. The principal indicated that the punch had been justified, as was the detention.

So what is the Congressional equivalent of whacking a cowardly bully across the teeth? Apparently my party has no idea. I've been a liberal Democrat forever and will remain one, but how did the party (at least our elected representatives) turn into such a band of wussies? They need to administer some punches in the mouth, either figuratively or literally. Bullies don't stop until challenged. Then they run and hide.

seaside

The biggest news in Ogunquit this week was the baby seals. We watched one on the rocks for about an hour until the marine rescue people arrived to take it to safety. They said they'll release it when it's a little older. Two hours later another one turned up a few rocks down, and was also gently carted away. Today we saw an adult seal in the surf, but it's unlikely that it was the mother. Water was 68 degrees and made for a very refreshing swim for us humans, too.

Mmmmmmm

Finally this summer we have a decent crop of tomatoes. Our farm consists of two pots on the front porch, which receive adequate sunlight and a precise amount of watering. The one that produces large tomatoes has so far only provided four, but the other is loaded with cherry tomatoes and we've been picking a handful every day. They taste better than any tomato you get anywhere, because they are eaten warm within seconds of being plucked from the vine.

last memory of london

Heathrow, Gate 21

“I cursed them in Greek, Italian and English
but they would not listen.”
She was returning to Belgrade with lotions
and body sprays for her Aunty,
who must have been ancient.
These too-large bottles of liquid
had been confiscated at the gate.
“Five years since I been,” she weeped.
“Everything has changed. They take.
I say, ‘You write down who they for,’
But they say it not their problem.”
As a compromise, she purchased two bottles of whiskey
and a carton of Camels at the duty-free shop
beyond the search area.
But Aunty’d been promised Nivea cream
and might not appreciate the effort.

cave men

One of the many great things about this town we’ve lived in for the past two years is that we have not one but two theaters within a short walk from home that show independent and/or foreign films almost every night of the week. Tonight we walked across the street to the state college and saw “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” a French documentary about the Chauvet Cave, home of the oldest cave art every discovered. I expected stick figures; the drawings of cave bears, bison, lions, ibex, rhinos, horses, and other animals were gorgeously detailed and almost seemed to be in motion. Imagine the patience and concentration of a Cro-Magnon artist doing such intricate drawings, from memory, by the light of a torch. (In contrast to the young boy and his father in the row in front of us, who came equipped with a laptop and some kind of Blackberry thing. The boy played solataire through the previews, but then he had the sense to shut off the laptop for the movie. His dad continued to check for messages every five minutes.)

doggy treats

The Mr. Smarty Pants ice-cream truck came by the other day at a time when none of the neighborhood kids were around. As previously reported, Lucy loves the truck. It gives her a chance to stick her head out and bark nonstop for several minutes. But with no customers on hand, the truck reached the end of our street and turned around, and the "Happy Birthday" and "O, Susannah" songs sounded mournful. "You have to get her something!" Sandra called. So I went outside and flagged down the truck just as it was starting to pick up speed. "I guess I want an ice pop," I told the guy. "It's for her." I pointed to the front door, where Lucy was going crazy. He said he had treats especially for dogs, so I bought a Yoghund cup, which was frozen yogurt with peanut butter and papaya. She loved it, and is waiting for the next one.

Musical Notes

A week ago in England we walked to the Victoria and Albert museum for a performance by a trio from the London Conservatory. I appreciated that the guest saxophonist (say it with me, sack-SOF-a-nist) – of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra – rode off on his motorcycle after the concert of Mozart and Shostakovich. Then we had Thai food back in our neighborhood and a beer at the Queen’s Arms.

Tonight in New England we walked downtown to the french fry place. The performer was an acoustic guitar/harmonica guy who was very good instrumentally and did covers of Tom Waits, John Lennon and Bob Dylan along with originals. Enjoyed the show, though he would benefit from a few sessions with Eleanora Poultice.* (The Dylan song was One More Cup of Coffee, another great one that I haven’t even mentioned in this blog). Lucy (the dog) knows that we always go there on Friday nights and she expects three french fries on our return. We did not have fries tonight because I didn’t run a single step in the UK and ate everything I wanted for two weeks. So she got carrots instead.

After the show we strolled home along Main Street, pausing for a moment to watch the young guy with long hair change the letters of the marquee on the movie theater. I’m glad to live in a town where somebody still has to get up on a ladder and change the letters one by one. I also value the fact that when they change the letters they spell out titles like “Of Gods and Men” or “Winter’s Bone” or a performance by Gordon Lightfoot.

*(Miss Poultice was Barney Fife’s voice teacher. I promise much more about Deputy Fife in future blog entries.)

Scotland

Major, Tinker, Scamp and Bam are among the two dozen or so dogs laid to rest in the Soldiers’ Dog Cemetery at Edinburgh Castle. From a cuticle of land they overlook the nicest cityscape I’ve ever seen. Edinburgh is beautiful, friendly and easily negotiated by foot. Best find was Henderson’s vegetarian restaurant at the corner of Hanover and Thistle. Great fish and chips throughout the city, too. We returned last night from two weeks in the UK and will blog restrospectively about it.

Lucy's birthday

We don't know the actual date because we adopted her from a shelter, but April 1 is close enough and very appropriate. When she turned 10 a few months ago, we gave her treats and sang the Happy Birthday song. The next day when the Mr. Smarty Pants ice-cream truck came down the street playing that same song, she expected more treats. There are a lot of kids on this street, so Mr. Smarty Pants and the Kona Ice truck come down the block at least once apiece every day in warm weather. Lucy pays close attention.