A Bligh Upon Humanity

I can talk movies all day long. You want to talk contemporary film, I can do that, although my fave era is that of the black and white film. Bogart, Bacall, Hepburn, Tracy. Flynn, Turner, Stewart, O'Hara. Grant, I can go on for a lot longer. I tend to give directors more importance in film over the last 20 years than I do prior whereas I tend to celebrate the celebrities of the b&w picture over today's picture. So, let me celebrate yet another film star of ago, Charles Laughton. Bigger than life, a ham if you will. Overbearing, loud, boiling, somehow convincing. As I sat watching "Witness for the Prosecution" a few nights ago I was amazed at how much Laughton overshadowed the other actors. No easy feat considering the stars were Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power. His portrayal of Captain Bligh in "Mutiny on the Bounty" can never be duplicated. He was/is Captain Bligh (sorry Sir Anthony Hopkins). More of a character actor than a leading man, Laughton starred in a variety of genres and never looked out of place in any of them.

Rekindling the Influence

My darling sister posted on her blog about the Beatles to which I had to respond. When I started writing I remembered a movie (mockumentary) called "The Rutles" that I had watched ages ago and since have always equated the two "groups" together. Best viewed (if memory serves) under the influence of some form of narcotic (not the sleepy stuff) I wonder if it is as funny now as when I watched it years ago.

How Does One Cope

People ask me all the time "Braids, how does one cope with this world and all the horrible things people do"? I have no answer to these types of questions other than producing a copy of this picture and stating "It aint that bad at all my friend".

Notra Tom II and Madelaine: Purple hair is pretty.

Guns 'R' US

Please don't misinterpret this post as making light of the shooting spree at Virginia Tech. These are senseless horrid events and I wish we had the ability to go back in time and wipe out these murderers before they could kill our brothers, sisters, children, parents, loved ones. It is just the responses by administration that freak me out.

"Today, the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified."

Am I crazy or do these institutions get there quotes from the "University Tragedy Phrasebook"?

The worst---> ..."The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed," spokeswoman Dana Perino said...

Wow. I have to ask this question of our American cousins: do you not think this particular constitutional right might have been taken out of context over the years? Look at all the other developed nations around the world and compare the statistics involving gun crime and then compare gun laws in those nations. You will find the contrast very informative.

My heart goes out to all those families that have lost a loved one especially in such a fucked up way.

The Chronosynclastic Infundibulum

Goodbye Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Thank you for creating a place where all the truths funnelled together and fit for even a brief period.

It's All Happening

I have applied to transfer schools from York U. to Laurier and so far everything looks good. Laurier has a campus in Brantford which is close to us so the commute will be done over the course of the next few years. One year and I have my degree and another for teachers college. When I picked up my youngest this afternoon I sat waiting for her teacher to escort her out and it struck me that I am going to be a teacher in the not so distant future. There is a part of me that knows that teaching is my calling and there is another part that thinks there is no way the powers that be would allow me to command a classroom. That fear of the unknown that keeps creeping into my brain whispering "You're too much of misanthrope to succeed. You are way too shy to deal with all the social obligations involved. You will choke when faced with adversity." And yet, I still sally forward. It's funny because I know I have it in me to be a very good educator, yet I am filled with self-doubt. For now I tell myself that I will just get the degree(s) and worry about the rest of it later. I don't want to burnout before I even get in front of a class.