A Birthday, a Cold, and It's Cold

Good Morning You All,

I have what seems to be my annual winter "cold." Since I live alone and am not around children much, this ailment could only have come from one of two places, either my gym (most likely) or the folks at Barnes & Noble (my afternoon office when I am in town). Last year at this time, which seems to coincide with my birthday, I was ill. Maybe "Mother Nature" is trying to tell me something! The worse part of this is that it upset my plans to spend a couple of days with my friends Bob and Cindy down in the desert.

We had a big storm about a week and a half ago and I was again able to get out on my skis a couple of days. There was a small snow storm this past Monday which produced about 3 inches in town. It would have been opportune to get out again but the aforementioned malady was beginnig to take hold in my body. I thought about going out anyway but decided not to in the event that the illness might be more extreme as the result. When you start realizing that you are getting "older" you have to watch out a bit more about your health.

Old Guy, Mountain Curmudgeon



Usually, on my birthday, I like to get to a movie, but Flagstaff Harkins Theaters did not bring one new film to town today. The couple of good "flicks" that are here have been here awhile. As mentioned in other blogs, they seem to bring a lot of crap here. Guess it has to do with demographics but is pretty frustrating. Last Friday I saw The International with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. As the title might indicate it was an international thriller. I liked it. Again it was in the vain of the Bourne films, not "heavy" cinematic fare but good entertainment. I only wish they had brought us Doubt, The Wrestler, and Revolutionary Road before the Oscars.




And so it goes . . .

Winter in More Ways than One!

Good Morning from Flagstaff,

Haven't had much to say lately. The snow I had hoped would come, did, for one day. The following two days I hit the boards before the usual (for this winter) immediate following warm-up period. We are suppose to be getting snow this weekend. I guess, in a way, it has been a good winter so far, some snow, some sun. Nevertheless my older friend Ed says this will be the last winter he and Bonnie spend here.


As for me, I like winter. Nothing made me happier than that groundhog in Penn that came out earlier this week and saw his own shadow. The mythology of that event predicts that we will have 6 more weeks of winter weather. I rejoice in that.


February is the month of my birth which gives me pause to reflect on the years I have been on this planet. I am beginning to feel old. I know you are "only as old as you feel." In many ways I feel young, but looking in the mirror negates that right away. I have looked around at men my age, and some younger, in their 50s, and feel that my outward appearance is much more youthful than theirs. Of course that may be self delusion. One thing is certain, I look younger than my father did at this age (seems to be something we "boomers" are overly concerned with).


I will always remember what my mother said to me when she was in her early 70s. In her head she was still that same girl in high school, but looking at her physical self she could hardly believe what had happened to her. In her mind, life had gone by so fast. We all know that feeling as we have gotten older.


Films: The movie fare in Flagstaff has been atrocious the last few weeks. While other places, even Prescott, are getting the award nominated films we keep getting all the Jan/Feb crap.
Luckily, I did some early January traveling to see such films as Frost/Nixon, which has not made it here yet. They dribble in some good films such as Slumdog Millionaire while surrounding them with slasher and vampire flicks. Yesterday, despairing of another week without good offerings I went to see a mildly amusing, He's Just Not that In to You. It was meant to be funny, and was in places, but was more a sad treatise on male/female relationships. It was definitely what folks call a "chick flick." Usually I like those, as well as romantic comedies if done well. This one I would rate at "so, so." The previous week I went to Liam Neeson's Taken, a fast paced international thriller. It is not as good as the Bourne series, but entertaining. Neesen makes the film.


Adios Amigos y Amigas