Some jackass in Texas is on trial this week, charged with animal cruelty after killing a cat he said was hunting the birds he was studying. (I won’t get graphic in this post, but I am sensitive to the feelings of others, so only continue if you can bear it.)
Filed under: Animals, Axis of Evil on November 14th, 2007 | No Comments »
I enjoy watching movies with the actor Steve Zahn. I think I first saw him in That Thing You Do, and since then he’s been in a lot of things, and, generally, his performances are the highlight of his films. He was the best thing about Sahara; Joy Ride; Happy, Texas; and the only good thing about National Security. Yesterday, however, we watched Bandidas, and as good as Zahn is, he cannot compete with the film’s main attraction (left).
Bandidas, which I had never heard of before, was originally supposed to be released in 2005, then was pushed back several times, and ultimately had very poor distribution in the United States, and no promotion, which accounts for why it was unfamiliar to me. But it had everything I like in an action movie, including a cartoonishly super-evil villain played by Dwight Yokam, mariachi music, trains, Salma Hayek, etc.
Filed under: Film on November 13th, 2007 | No Comments »
For a variety of reasons, photographing weddings causes me considerable stress. It’s rewarding, verily, but in the run-up to a big job, I find it preoccupies my mind.
This weekend I had a particularly large shoot, with the event stretched over two days, and a very large number of guests. One of the principal stressors for me is the social aspect of wedding photography: Being a stranger in the midst of a large group who know one another well is a challenge. But, as is often the case, my anxiety turned out to be unwarranted, since everyone at the wedding I photographed this weekend was very nice, especially the couple.
Now begins the long process of photo editing, which I expect to take a couple weeks. Then I have another wedding the weekend after next.
Filed under: Photography, Special Occasions, Work on November 11th, 2007 | No Comments »
The current strike by writers is explained pretty well in this short video. It’s hard to imagine the studios fighting over 4¢, but it seems that’s what’s happening.
Filed under: Current Events, Television on November 9th, 2007 | No Comments »
Spooky may technically belong to Elke, but he has made himself at home with us in recent months. It has been a remarkable transformation, though, since when she brought him from her old neighborhood, which was being razed to make way for the new cancer hospital at Shands, he wouldn’t come near us. Spooky was part of Operation Catnip, a program wherein strays are trapped, spayed or neutered, and released with their ear snipped, to alert Alachua County Animal Control that the cats are fixed. But Spooky has become amazingly affectionate for a stray. Now he greets us when we come home, and when we leave the house, and he tries to run in the house when the door opens. I can pick him up any time I want, and he likes being petted.
Alas, he went missing this week. I was aware that I hadn’t seen him since Sunday when Elke came by on Tuesday night asking about him. He Bela tolerates him, but Mr. Meow picks on him, and other feral cats in the neighborhood give him a hard time. Wednesday and Thursday I searched the yard for hints of a fatal catfight, or, worse, his corpse. But there was no sign of anything amiss. He had simply disappeared.
This morning, though, he was waiting by the front door when I arrived home from grocery shopping. I picked him up and looked him over, and he seems healthy. So, let us be thankful for the return of Spooky, and watch this clip of “Kitty’s Back” from October 30 in Los Angeles.
Filed under: Animals, Popular Music on November 9th, 2007 | No Comments »