The Girl...revisited

One of the first blog postings I did was how sorry I was to have finished reading the final part of Steig Larson's trilogy.  The first book of this was called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I found out earlier in the year that a film had been made of this and I was anxious to see it - even if it was done in Swedish with subtitles.  Roger Ebert gave it a pretty good review.

I rejected my natural meanness and bought a copy of the DVD (second hand, of course) and watched it with S.W.M.B.O. the other evening.  It is a long, complex movie - 2 1/2 hours and it's not that easy to follow if you haven't read the book.

Some of the critics have been harsh about it, but maybe they're not used to watching subtitles.  Nonetheless the central character, Lisbeth Salander, played by Noomi Rapace, is riveting.  The second movie is out now and I'm starting to waver.  You can see the trailer here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlF-hk3IJQE

Final Post on Japan

Sunday's column was on my trip to Japan.  It was covered extensively here so instead of boring you again here are some photos of the place.  You can read the column on www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

Mom, Dad, there's someone I'd like you to meet!

Part of the small shrine in Kamakura

Shibuya, the World's Busiest Crosswalk

Typical House in Shimoda

MUSIC TRACK

I hope you'll indulge me with this.  But is it just me or does Rachmaninov evoke the same scenes of black and white European railway stations; belted gaberdine raincoats; trilby hats and cigarette smoke blending with the steam from the locomotive's wheels?

Possibly some of the most romantic music ever composed, Rachmaninov always looked intensely sad.  He had to leave Russia at the end of the revolution.  He earned his living as a concert pianist in the US, and died in 1943.  I had always thought he was buried in Beverly Hills, and intended to visit his grave.  I find out that he is actually buried in New York.  One interesting fact is that he had enormous hands and so his music is very hard for women to play.  This recording is by Vladimir Ashkenasi - One of the best ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWOWb3xtfGE&feature=related

KINDLE

I was bought a Kindle about a year ago. It has certainly been a wonderful present. I see that the price is now down to $139   http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reader-Wifi-Graphite/dp/B002Y27P3M/ref=kin3w_ddp_compare_image1

The device is fine in the brightest sunlight and it loads a book in less than a minute.

Once you've finished reading the book you can archive it and recall it at any time. You can pack Kindle into any small space for travel and have up to about 250,000 books available to you. Most of them at $9.99 or less.

The only downside I can find is if you want to look back over several pages. With an easy font changing system - for older eyes! - the amount you are into the book is displayed in a percentage, which means it is not so easy to find a particular paragraph or fact.

Tokyo Living

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f00a9f76-ab21-11df-9e6b-00144feabdc0,_i_email=y.html    I was sent this link by a friend the other day.  It's about a Brit who lives in Tokyo with his Japanese wife and young family.  I recognize some of his experiences.

Dog Friendly?

I was asked by a friend the other day if I knew any dog friendly restaurants locally.  Now this is a concern as I believe health departments are not keen on man's best friend sharing feeding bowls with their owners - at least in public.  It's a problem.

My son Michael and his wife Eiko have a wonderful little King Charles Spaniel, and as urban dwellers, they also eat out quite a bit.  Mostly they look for restaurants with patios outdoors.  But from time to time they have to resort to stealth.  It entails a small gym-type bag.  Jazzie is quite used to the bag and in fact looks forward to it as it means an outing and of course, treats.  So they slip her inside and park her under the table.

Now who could resist these little fellows?

Now the problem arises when Jazzie drops off, as she is known to snore quite loudly.  Servers are often seen to look around at the customers to see who has fallen off their chairs.  Michael has to then resort to talking loudly or even snorting a bit.  I wish I had a solution for my friend.  It would also be nice to be able to take out Frankie and Johnnie from time to time.

Naps

I have to confess to a certain love of afternoon naps. Most of the people I know seem to regard this pleasure as a weakness. Maybe it is. But I ignore the criticism.

I believe I am not alone in this habit; Churchill, Napoleon and other famous people have been known to get their "heads down" from time to time. It has also been followed by most of the male members of my family. My father had a sofa in his office for years and his staff were most protective of his need for "forty winks." Grandad's preferred spot was an arm chair in the front room. I can do the sitting up job, but much prefer the horizontal method. Usually no more than 20 minutes though.

From time to time reports come out praising naps and I have yet to find a negative report on them. Sometime they are called "power" naps, and I did know one business in Canada years ago that acknowledged their use. This small firm had a nap room with several sofas where employees could relax when the need arose.

I did wonder if I would grow out of the habit, but so far there's no sign. What are your feelings on naps?

The Dodgers

There are few truly inspiring moments in the life of a Dodger fan.  Mostly it's a long series of disappointments.  For instance, how can a team with a 9 to 1 lead in the ninth inning see it go to an 11 to 9 loss?

How can all our best players either be on the DL or fail to swing the bat effectively?  Even against the poorest opponents.  How can a team with such a supposed reputation fail to win a world series since 1988?  I watched that series, and foolishly thought it was going to happen most years!  Had I known the dearth of positive results, I would have savored the win more.

But there is one huge lift for all of us depressed fans - the continuance of Vin Scully for anther year.  His decision was announced at Sunday's game - a true gleam of light in yet another bad performance.  He is 82, and now only calls home games and those on the right side (Actually left side) of  the mountains.  He doesn't go on  the long trips.  Who can blame him!

Scully has been calling Dodger games for 61 years and is a true national resource.  He brings a color and a grace to the game that is usually missing from other commentators, who seem to think a lack of skill can be balanced by a recitation of statistics.  Long may he continue as he is truly unique, and he enriches the game.

White Space

Readers of this blog may have noticed that there was a huge amount of white space at the end of the postings and before the final part.  This has been fixed.  Also "Alternative Tracks" has been renamed  "Local Tracks" as it's really only for readers in So Cal.  Unless you want to start jumping on planes, of course.

To find details on any of these places go to www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels to access all my columns and also hear the Podcasts.

The big photo just before Local Tracks has a hot link on it - just click there for details.  This week it's the Integratron - quite an experience!  Believe me!

Jensen Alvarado

This Sunday's column was about the Jensen Alvarado Ranch in Riverside.  It's the first brick building in the area.  Captain Jensen, who was a Danish citizen, learned that adobe bricks dissolve in heavy downpours, hence his choice of brick.

The Captain had come down from the Gold Rush, having made a great deal of money from selling things to the miners.  He had in modern parlance "A ton of Whack!"  He lacked social position however.

Now, it so happened that the Alvarado's had lots of position but were a trifle lacking in the whack department.

Their daughter Mercedes was only 16 but up for marrying the 40 year-old Captain - today it would be called statuary rape, I believe!  She was staggeringly plain and from the photos somewhat hirsute.  However, they had 12 children, ten of whom made it to adulthood.  So who's to judge! To read the rest of the story go to www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

MUSIC TRACK

This week's music track will get your motor running.  Check out the Boogie Woogie here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QQzbCmlZM4

It's done in Switzerland and the pianist is Silvan Zingg. He's something of a hero in the country, but I think the dancers are amazing, particularly the young man.

It's hard to keep your feet from tapping to this one!

Seventy-one

Today is the day I officially go into "the red." Three score years and ten is the oft quoted span for us, and so today being my birthday I have run over that number by hitting 71. It's not as traumatic as last year's was. Seventy was a hard gate to go through. There's no escaping that number. Sixty you can still kid yourself a little, but not the big seven-oh!

So having had a year to adjust to the fact that my age now starts with a seven, I suppose adding a small "one" on the end is not too bad.

I now have to work hard to beat the statisticians' predictions and continue to hurt the government by taking more of my allotted social security than they calculated for me. I also have to keep "the old man out!" Once you let him in he'll stay. So if any of you locals find me shuffling around, please administer a well aimed boot to my posterior and tell me to get a damned grip!

Directions?

There is definitely a change in the way people perceive where they are in the world. I mean exactly where they are in terms of their geographical location. And the younger they are the poorer it is.


Perhaps it has something to do with all the electronic devices out there that tell them how to get to a particular restaurant or cinema. But I fear they may be counter productive. No one seems to use maps any more - how are Rand McNally and Thomas Guides doing these days, I wonder? Maps do create a picture in your mind of where you sit on the globe.

I first noticed the problem when I stopped at a gas station to check directions. Mostly the attendants didn't have a clue. To get to their jobs, they knew they got on the freeway then got off at exit 46 for instance. Anywhere else they were clueless.


We are often shown interviews of people in the street telling the camera that they think Canada is south of us and Mexico to the West. As for France - forget it! It's not just a stunt, people really don't know.

We are always being told education needs more money. Maybe we could try and teach geography the way it was rather than mixing it up with social engineering. How about getting some maps, they're cheap and it would be a good start.

Riverside Metropolitan Museum

This Sunday's column is on the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. It's right in the downtown section of the city and was once the post office there.

Cornelius Rumsey was the original owner of much of the permanent collection. He was the NABISCO cereal magnate. It was given to the museum by his widow in 1948 and displayed in the basement. The building was deeded to the museum in 1966.

Currently there is a display on show through January on self adornment. It has brought a large number of young people to see it. One of the main features is a collection of photographs on tattoos, together with letters explaining the designs. www.riversideca.gov/museum