It’s home movie time on Frail Deeds
Dancing. At least I hope it is because I have at long last (and intense
personal confusion) finally figured out how to download a couple videos from
I-Phone messaging to my computer. The final exam will be getting them on the blog.
I’ve done this in the past but it’s been a few months and that is dangerous territory
for someone of my generation. If I have too much trouble I might kidnap a local
teenager to make it happen.
As predicted, Riggins had a rough
first night away from the litter mates. The Favorite Son reported an entire
night of whining leading to his and the ABFA’s abject exhaustion – welcome to
pet ownership! He slept better last night and will quickly figure out how
fortunate he is in the ownership arena. We get to meet him this weekend so he
can add us to his growing coterie of admirers.
I read my hometown newspaper on line
each day and noted that the Kingsbury Machine Tool Corporation had folded its
last operations there. A large part of my earliest days revolved around
Kingsbury’s as my father worked there until he passed away in 1977. It used to
be an industrial giant in town employing over 1000 people and dominating the
eastern part of town. I can remember numerous times I (usually accompanied by the
Cantankerous Friend) would stop by my father’s desk, usually in search of spare
change. It became more important after my parents’ divorce because that was one
of the few places I actually got to see my father. I’ve watched sadly during my
frequent visits over the years as the times treated Kingsbury’s unkindly and
the former vibrant Laurel Street facility became a shell. Keene Friend lives
just up the street from Kingsbury’s so I get reminded each time I go there. One
of aging’s most strident lessons is the impermanence of the intractable landmarks
of youth.
On a decidedly more cheerful note here’s
the video of the First Blog Reader that I’ve been promising for a couple days.
Wingman was changing the sheets on a bed when she just started laughing, which
apparently went on for ten minutes. They finally got the camera set up
(although it does fall near the end of the clip) and my granddaughter did not disappoint.
These are the moments that make the sleepless nights and pungent diaper changes
all worth it.
This second video (sorry about the side
viewing - got to teach the ABFA about the importance of landscape view) shows
Riggins arriving at his new home. He was a little scared of being in grass for
the first time and does not like his initial time on a leash either. I can see
why’s he’s conquered so quickly.
Date night last night saw us at
Criminal, which I thought was much better than most critics are giving it credit
for. Costner does evil way, way better than most leading men (see Mr. Brooks) and
he chews up a lot of scenery here. Once you get over the hump of accepting the impossible
science involved in transferring a recently deceased secret agent’s memories
into an uber-violent sociopath, it’s a great ride. Costner does an interesting
job of displaying the inner conflict of a lifelong criminal having a conscience
imposed upon him.
The only thing criminal in the movie was the underuse of
Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman going a little (lot) over the top. The best
scenes involve the dead agent’s wife, played by Gal Gadot, who seems to get
better each time out. There’s funny (if very violent) scenes where very polite
English society, where the movie takes place, is exposed to the ruthlessly
inappropriate Costner character, probably every Englishman’s secretly held
opinion of Americans in general. So, ignore the critics and go see this very
passable action flick with Costner refusing to wait in any queues to the abject
horror of all.
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