TRON: Legacy

There's a sequel to Tron coming out?

Oh my.

Mixed response here: On the one hand, I loved the film. I mean, I really loved it. On the other hand, I haven't watched it in years because I have a feeling it wouldn't live up to its nostalgia, and... I cannot imagine it needing or wanting a sequel.

The trailer looks great, though. As per the usual with trailers, it makes no sense--I mean, what is the movie about, really? But it looks cool.

So, of course, I'm doing my bit to let everyone know about it.

'Eureka' Coming Back For Fourth Season On Syfy | Airlock Alpha

Hurray!: 'Eureka' Coming Back For Fourth Season On Syfy | Airlock Alpha

I have been enjoying this season, by the way, though I still feel a bit miffed: We only got a partial season last summer due to the writer's strike (The strike, by the way, I understand completely), and the Powers That Be made us wait til this summer to get the other half. Why couldn't we have had a super-long season to make up for it? Season 3.5 and Season 4?

I know, dream on!

Anyway, I'm delighted it is coming back for a fourth season.

A Question of Pronunciation

Rob Machado is an amazing surfer, no question about it, and I'm seriously considering hero worship.

But... is it Makhado? Mashado? Or Machado (with the 'ch' as in 'chilli')?

Inquiring minds want to know.

And the announcers were no help whatsoever, as they said all three, at different times, and his official page doesn't include a pronunciation guide.

*Ponders

U. S. Open of Surfing July 25 (post 3)

U S Open of Surfing July 25 (Post 2)

U. S. Open of Surfing, July 25

U.S. Open of Surfing

The US Surf Open

A big event here--and one of my favorites. They're expecting 500 competitors and another 500,000 people to come watch. According to the announcer today, 250,000 of them will be on the beach Sunday.


I hope to be there as well. I love watching the surfing, and the crowds. Even when "nothing" is happening, there is something to watch. If nothing else, there is the sun on the waves.

Sewing Machine

I'm feeling absurdly pleased with myself, having finally remembered that I have a sewing machine and I can use it to fix things, like the laundry bag that was slowly becoming more tear than bag.

Mystery Palm: Followup

Well, the folks on gardenweb seem to think it's a queen palm. At least, two of them do, and since they describe it as "invasive," I think it likely: How else did it get in my yard?

The Great Carousel Hunt: Part the Fourth

"I'm going to the fair this evening. Want to come?"

Of course I did.

In fact, I had to--It has a carousel, and I can't pass a up a carousel, not this summer.

It's a lovely carousel too (You've probably guessed by now that this is redundant: As far as I'm concerned, all carousels are lovely. Nonetheless, I am likely going to continue reminding you at every possible opportunity. Consider it a public service announcement).


There was the usual dilemma: Which animal to ride? The snarling tiger? The funny little pig? The elegant, rearing wonder? The sturdy, galloping beauty with the golden mane? The zebra?

After spending some time watching, I finally selected the gorgeous, golden-maned beast. Good thing, too. This ride was no serene sail but a fierce gallop. The horses shook slightly as they surged forward, each trying to overtake the other.

As a side note: All my reading is paying off: I recognized some of these horses; they're not just any carousel horses, they are famous horses--or, rather, copies thereof. I can't tell you which horse had which creator, or who made that snarling tiger (a stander; I don't rind standers, not at the moment), but I can tell you they have a history.

Mystery Palm

The Fountain Grass in our yard is now right next door to a well-waterd yard. It likes it--a lot. It hasn't just grown since the last time I thinned it in the fall, it has, well, fountained.

Finally, this week, I realized that if I didn't do something soon, I would have a yard full of vibrantly healthy fountain grass and nothing else.

So, I got on the super-thick, lined gloves my dad uses for mosaicing and an old long-sleeved shirt (Grass can be vicious when it is cornered) and set about trying to thin the grass.

It wasn't quite tall enough to hide an elephant, but it did turn out to have been hiding a fairly well-grown palm tree.

I have no idea what kind of palm tree it is, or how it got into our yard. It doesn't look the least bit like our neighbor's palms and in no way resembles any of the palm trees in back. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised: my sister found one of the ones now potted out back struggling up through a crack in the sidewalk near our house, but still, it does surprise me.

I dug it up, too, and put it in back for the time being. If it lives--and I think it will--it will go into church next month to be part of Rome during Vacation Bible School. After that, I'll wave it goodbye and send it off to its new home with a friend who does not already have a yard full of palm trees.

I do wonder what it is, though.

Warehouse 13: The Pilot

Let's see: Bog-standard plot, cliche'd characters.

I think I'll pass.

Fireworks

As with last year, my sister and I walked to the beach to see the show.

It really was spectacular; this was the Centennial Celebration, so they'd decided on a full 25 minutes of show, out over the ocean with patriotic and surfer-themed songs playing in the background (Oh, and "Dixieland." I'm not quite sure how that fit).

We had a great time, first watching the band and then settling down on the beach for the show, and then walking home by an alternate route, since we'd spend the day debating which of two routes was shortest (mine, by a hair).

It wasn't all that alternate, though--we were still shuffling in the crowds for several blocks and watching in amazement as a few hundred cyclists zig-zagged through the streets without getting hit by the hundreds of cars also trying to use the street.

The next day, everyone at church got to talk about how spectacular the display had been, and how we'd never seen so many fireworks in the air at once as hit the air in the finale (Well, all but one person. She said, somewhat apologetically, that she'd seen more at New Year's in Sidney).

The Great Carousel Hunt, Part the Third

This was both disappointing and fun: Disappointing because out of date information had led me to believe that they still had the old Looff Carousel, and after reading about the great carvers in the last few days, I was pretty excited about seeing it.
It's not there any more, hasn't been for a while--the owner sent it back to San Francisco.

On the other hand, they still do have a carousel, and it is bright, shiny, and full of fun. There's plenty of gilding, bright paint, and exotic animals to ride.


Mostly, they are white horses, somewhat to the disappointment of my companion on this trip, a friend who favors black carousel horses, but there was also a gorgeous zebra (very tempting)and a spectacular blue and purple dragon/seahorse creature that I fell instantly in love with (I'll ride the zebra some other time, perhaps).


My friend found a white horse she thought pretty enough, and I took the seahorse/dragon and we were off!

Thus endeth Part the Third.

Random Carousel Fact #3

"During the Boer Wars of 1896-1899, several men achieved prominence as military heroes. T o commemorate their bravery, C.J. Spooner of Burton-on-Trent immortalized these men by carving their likenesses on wooden centaurs. These representations proved very popular, giving children the opportunity to ride on the back of a legend.."

From The Carousel Animal, text by Tobin Fraley, photographs by Gary Sinick.

To be honest, I think they look a little creepy, but to each his own.

Random Carousel Fact #2

In 1890, Gustav A. Dentzel built a 2-story carousel. People liked it, but loading and unloading went slowly, so Dentzel dismantled it and used its parts for other carousels.

From A Pictorial History of the Carousel by Frederick Fried

Happy Fourth of July!

The Great Carousel Hunt: Part the Second

My sister went with me yesterday to the Fashion Island Carousel.

I've seen it before--even taken a couple of pictures--but I've never really looked at it or ridden it.

It's a lovely little carousel, and I was amazed and amused by the number of animals: Not only were there horses, several in full armor, there was a hare, a zebra, a merhorse, an ostrich, a tiger, a pig. And, most likely, one or two others I forgot to mention.

This, of course, gave rise to a great dilemma: I knew I was going to ride, but which animal? They were all lovely; even the pig had quixotic sort of charm. Finally, my sister spoke up in favor of riding the armored horse, and I decided on the hare next to it (It's so much more fun to ride a carousel with someone), and we were off!

The music was rather softer and the motor rather louder than was ideal, but the weather was splendid, the company good, and I'd say the ride was a success.

Afterward, we paid a quick visit to the bookstore where my sister pounced on a Jan Karon book (A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim, I think) which she proceeded to read while we shared gelato down in the food court.

She did surface long enough to help me navigate the roads on the way back--I went straight where I should have turned and turned where I should have gone straight, and ended up hopelessly turned around. Fortunately, she wasn't, so, although we took the long road home, we made it.

All in all, I'd call it a successful chapter of the quest.