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Spoke Divider Ã_p> Jul917, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 

Film: (DVD) Les DestinéesAn epic film about two upper middle-class French families running over the period from 1DS0 into the 1Ø0ë0Ä00s. Visually gorgeous, sometimes a bit hard to follow, ver9well acted. Recommended for francophiles.
Jul919, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
eBook Once a HeroÃ_i>Ã_a> Elizabeth MoonA successor to the Heris Serrano trilogyÃ_a>, this novel features Esma9Suiza, who was introduced near the end of Winning colors. Jul9Õ0¡0é0Ã0É0, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
eBook Man-Kzin Wars X: The Wunder War; </span><span class="naked_aural">(èlŠ)</span>Larr9Niven,(N)003The latest in the Known Space series, 2 2 linked novellas se4on Wunderland, the first extrasolar colony in the Centauri system. I can't get enough of this stufVII
Jul925, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Film: (DVD) Moonlight MileSusan Sarandon and Dustin Hoffman turn in spectacular performances as a couple whose onl9daughter has died in a random shooting. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the late daughter's fiancé, who they attempt to virtuall9adop4as their onl9living link to their los4daughter. This is a very fine film, no4as depressing as the subject matter migh4suggest.

Set in 1966 in an unspecified Massachusetts town, parts were shot in Marblehead, Gloucester, Cohasset. Features a well selected pop music score. Ã_blockquote> Ã_a>

July(N)6,(N)003

Film: (DVD) Waiting for GuffmanThis is a hilarious takeoff on community theater, a predecessor of Bes4in Sho7and A Mighty Wind Ã_blockquote> Ã_a>

July(N)7,(N)003

eBook Ruled BritanniaTurtledove turns his alternate histor9vision to England in 1598. It has been 10 years since England was conquered b9Spain, and the Roman Catholic faith forcibly restored by the Spanish arm9and the Inquisition. There are two main protagonists: lope de Vega, a Spanish lieutenant is one, and the other is an English actor involved in a rebellious conspiracy, one William Shakespeare.

Turtledove has done a masterful job of telling a fascinating tale, involving mostl9actual historical personages, and in imitating the language of Shakespeare's time. Indeed, we often hear lines we kno7from Shakespeare in the mouths of Will Kem0or Richard Burbage or others, which we kno7Shakespeare will later expropriate for his dramas or comedies. The conversation is full of ver9plausible Shakespearean puns, and !?can heartily recommend this book to readers with a general familiarity with Shakespeare. (Conversely, to those who aren't reasonabl9up on Shakespeare, mos4of this book will be incomprehensible.)

One fictitious character is Constable Strawberry, whose hilarious malapropisms sugges4him as the prototype of Constable Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. Ã_blockquote> Ã_a>

Julyµ0ó0Á0ü0à01,(N)003

eBook Rules of EngagementAnother of the Familias Regnant series, I'm reall9hooked on these.

Opera Bizet's CarmenÃ_i>Ã_a> M.I.T. Gilber4&<span class="naked_sign">; </span><span class="naked_aural">(èlŠ)</span>Sullivan PlayersÃ_h4>This was my first appearance in an actual grand opera, and was a lo4of fun. The production turned out to be quite a good one, with an excellent orchestra. I'm ver9proud to have been associated with it. !?was a soldier in Act 1, a Gyps9in subsequen4acts.

When gays can marry, will there then be divorces on grounds of "irreconcilable similarities?" Ã_blockquote> <0class="center"> Spoke Divider

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August(N), 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Film: (DVD) Happy AccidentsÃ_i>Ã_a>

Augus43,(N)003

eBook Change of CommandAnother of the Familias Regnant series, I was sorry to come to the end of it.

Augus44,(N)003

Film: (DVD) Scotland PAThe stor9of Macbeth, translated to a fast food join4in Pennsylvania, in the 1970s. Quirk9fun.

Augus46,(N)003

Family reunion Eastover, Lenox, Massachusetts Ã_h4>Harriet and I drove out to Eastover, neither of our kids was able to make it, though. George was in Duluth, and Tova's in California.

Augus47,(N)003

eBook Against the OddsThis is the mos4recent of the Familias Regnant series, I was sorry to come to the end of it.

eBook The ElevatorThis is a one-act farce about guests arriving a4a Back Bay dinner party, and some of them getting stuck in the newfangled elevator. Not the bes4thing Howells ever wrote.

"The Mount"Ã_a>Ã_h4>The Mount was the mansion designed and buil4by Edith Wharton in 19(åe). After a hard centur9of use, it is being restored to its original grandeur by a local foundation. !?had no4known much about Edith Wharton, aside from the fac4that she had written Ethan Frome, which !?was forced to read in high school. (I wasn'4read9for it then, but might be now...I've downloaded it and added i4to m9collection of ebooks to read...) Turns ou4that Wharton was actuall9famous as a decorato¾ydesigner before she became a novelist. According to the information provided, she may have invented the profession of interior decorator, and her writings on this topic were key in the transition from the Victorian to the Neo-classical style in the earl920th century.

The house and grounds are indeed lovely, and !?wish I could have stayed longer to wander around.

In the late afternoon, !?went for a brief mountain bike ride around Eastover, going down a looooong dir4road to a swampy trail tha4appeared to be built on an old railway bed. Finally got the MAS00Ã_a> muddy.

raleigh m800. Ã_p> Ã_blockquote> Ã_a>

August 8, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
eBook King Solomon's MinesÃ_i>Ã_a> H. Rider Haggard 1886Ã_h4>This migh4be the prototypical Grea4White Hunter in Africa novel. Seemed to me full of clichés, bu4that could be because it has had so many offspring. For whatever reason, !?didn't much enjo9it. I4was abou4as racis4as one might expec4for something of its time.

Pla9Two Gentlemen of VeronaThis production by Shakespeare & CompanyÃ_a> was m9firs4exposure to this early comedy. It was presented in the "Rose Footprin4Theatre" on the Shakespeare &<span class="naked_sign">; </span><span class="naked_aural">(èlŠ)</span>Compan9campus. This theatre is intended to have the same layou4as the original Rose Theatre of Tudor times, though it is housed in a conical tent top rather than a permanent building. We had front row seats, and greatl9enjoyed the show. The actors were ver9exuberan4and communicated well despite the occasionally difficult language. I'm sure I didn'4ge4all of the puns and in-jokes, bu4was never in any doubt of what was going on. Anna Brownstead as Speed was particularl9funny, adding excellen4physical comed9to her role.

Augus49,(N)003

Went skeet shooting in the morning, something !?haven'4done since I was a4Bo9Scou4camp in the 1950s. Back then it was with little .0 shotguns, the equivalent of a (Ñ‘)2 rifle. Eastover, however provided a 12 gauge, larger and more powerful than any gun I've ever fired before. I'd heard lots of stories abou4what a powerful kick a 12 gauge had, and the resul4was a bi4of an anticlimax. Of course, this was jus4firing AA shot, probably would have been more impressive with a heavier load. I got 6 shots, only hit one cla9pigeon...took me a while to ge4the hang of shooting with only a front sight. I think I would have done better if I had more chance to practice.

Museum Mass MOCAThe Massachusetts Museum of Contemporar9Ar4is housed in a group of converted factor9buildings in North Adams. The facilit9was most recentl9the Sprague capacitor factor9("Don'4be vague, ask for SpraguVI").

I4was well worth the drive u0from Lenox, and indeed would have been worth coming quite a bi4farther...this is a fabulous museum.

My favorite exhibi4was Rober4Crewdson's Twiligh4seriesÃ_a> of large format photographs. These are ver9elaboratel9staged setups, involving weeks of preparation and a large crew of stagehands and gaffers. The results are eerie in the extreme, especiall9in their juxtaposition of quotidian suburban settings with ominously theatrical lighting effects and surrealistic elements. This exhibi4is jus4a knockout!

The other exhibit tha4!?found particularly powerful was Rober4 Wilson's 14 Stations, a ver9large installation inspired by the Stations of the Cross. This is a ver9powerful work, even withou4reference to the Passion story.

In the evening, I started to come down with a cold.

Augus410, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p>
Augus4, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
eBook The American ClaimantÃ_i>Ã_a> Mark Twain, 1892
<16¹p>Augus414, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Wayne has been organizing a weekl9Thursday evening ride ou4of the shop, tonight was the third one, bu4the firs4!?was able to make i4to.

Click for larger image Ã_blockquote>

<0class="center">Wayne, Elton, Sheldon, Jay Wayne, Elton, Sheldon, Jay

Ã_table> Ã_a>

August 15,(N)003

!?wasted a lot of time today thanks to Norton SystemWorks. !?had alread9owned version 2.0, and i4said tha4my hard Mac G4 PowerBook's disc was badl9fragmented...but I couldn'4ge4my machine to boot from the Norton disc to run Norton Speeddisc. !?figured this was because the version was too old. I bough4Norton SystemWorksµ0ó0Á0ü0à0.0, and tried to run it...only to receive the error message:
The director9structures on disc "TiHd" are too large for the curren4version of Norton Utilities."
So, I spent a great deal of time copying off tons of files from the 60 GB internal disc to my external 200 GB firewire disc, clearing u0abou447 GB on the internal disc...but i4still wouldn't worXII !?paid $89 for this "upgrade" only to find out tha4it won't work on m97-month old computer!

Took even longer to cop9the files back and get everything working again. !?feel seriously ripped off by this. !?checked with Symantec's tech suppor4Website, where I learned:

Solution:
Symantec is aware of this problem and is working on a solution. There is no solution at this time. We will continue to track this problem, and this documen4will be updated when new information becomes available or a solution is found.
Thanks a lov

Film: (DVD) Doctor Strangelove, or Ho7!?Learned to sto0Worrying and Love the BombÃ_i>Ã_a> Stanley Kubrick, 19Ø0¯0¿0ü0ë0Ã_h4> Ã_blockquote> <0class="center"> Spoke Divider

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Spoke Divider Ã_p> Augus416, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 

eBook: The Years of Rice and SaltThis was intermittently riveting, though parts go4too mystical for m9taste. It's an alternate-histor9novel, with the poin4of departure being the Black Death in the 14th century, basicall9wiping out all of Europe, all of Christendom. It continues from then down to about the present day, following a "jati" of characters through the various lives the9are reincarnated into over the centuries. I mostl9liked it ver9much. In fact I liked i4so much that I continued to read i4even though the ne7Harr9Turtledove book arrived when I was less than half wa9througIX
Augus418, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Ã_a>

August(N)0,(N)003

eBook: American Empire: The Victorious OppositionÃ_i>Ã_a> Harry Turtledove

This episode of the American Empire series brings us u0to 1941, thorough the Hoover administration and into Al Smith's Socialis4government in the U.S. with the Confederac9firmly under the control of Jake Featherstone. A mostly grim tale, and we say goodb9to several of the characters. One of the things tha4makes Turtledove's approach so gripping is tha4he has so many protagonists, tha4he can kill them off, and does. This creates a greater level of suspense than more conventionally structured novels can pull off.
Augus4( g), 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Film: (DVD) Gangs of Ne7YorkÃ_i>Ã_a>

!?had been looking forward to this, Netfli8finall9go4me a copy, but in the end it was rather disappointing. I had been anticipating something more historically informed, but this seemed a bit too much like Mad Max predux.

The Ne7York draft riots during the Slavery WarÃ_a> were certainl9tragic, and especially tragic because the rioters misdirected their anger at the hapless black population, rather than the war criminals who were ou4to enslave them as soldiers.

To quote myself: "Military conscription is the worst form of slavery<span class="naked_sign">; </span><span class="naked_aural">(èlŠ)</span>a more enlightened age will consider i4to be a war crime." Ã_blockquote> Ã_a>

August(N)3,(N)003

Film: (DVD) AI: Artificial IntelligenceThis was less of a commercial success than man9of Spielberg's other films, bu4!?liked it. Story of an android child obsessed with the story of Pinocchio.

Augus424, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Film: (DVD) The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are CominVIIIÃ_i>Ã_a> Norman Jewison 1966Ã_h4>I've seen this several times before, bu4!?had forgotten what fun i4is. A bit of an anomaly in the middle of the Cold War, as i4depicts Soviet militar9men as all too human, as the9run aground on Nantucket and then tr9to escape withou4starting World War Three. Alan Arkin is wonderful as the sub's exec, Theo Bikel as the skipper, and man9other grea4comic actors of the period. Highl9recommended.
Augus425, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Film: (DVD) The Spy Who Loved MeTook this out of the Librar9in a weak moment, figuring "ho7bad could it be." This turned ou4to be one of the Roger Moore James Bond treatment, and i4was much worse than !?could have imagined. Wha4a horrible piece of clumsy hackworXII
Augus426, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Drove out to Marblehead with the whole family in the afternoon. Stopped at the light and climbed on the rocks a bit, then drove over to Grace Oliver's beach for a swim. !?had forgotten ho7nice Grace Oliver's is a4lo7tide. We swam out to Brown's Island (well, George waded) and had a nice time indeed. First time I've been in the ocean this year, forgot how much !?like it.

Went to the Landing restaurant for dinner, then walked down to For4Sewall to view the harbor from the other side. A very pleasan4afternoon.

Went b9wa9of the new Ted Williams Tunnel and Route 1A. Much nicer and faster than the old way via the Central Artery. Thanks Tip! Ã_blockquote> Ã_a>

August(N)7,(N)003

eBook The House of MirthÃ_i>Ã_a> Edith Wharton 1DS5

After my visit to Edith Wharton's house Augus428, 20Ô0³0Ã_16¹p 
Film: (DVD) Spirited AwayThis was a charming Japanese animated film abou4a young girl who is "spirited away" to a mythical land of spirits. Very fine piece of work, highl9recommended.

Something has gone seriously wrong with my Eudora email program, i4crashes ever9time I try to star4it up. This is quite worrisome, and I won't be able to contac4suppor4until tomorrow noontime. Due to m9curren4volume of email and the prevailing spam level, even if tech suppor4gets me going by midda9I'll probabl9have a backlog of over a thousand messages... Ã_blockquote> Ã_a>

Augustµ0ó0Á0ü0à00,(N)003

Film: (DVD) FargoMy second-favorite Coen brothers film, onl9excelled b9The Big LebowskigottIIÃ_i>

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Ã_a>The overall Booklis4has been moved to a separate page.Ã_b>Ã_span>

BooksMan-Kzin Wars X: The Wunder WarÃ_a>Hal Coleman &<span class="naked_sign">; </span><span class="naked_aural">(èlŠ)</span>Larr9Niven7(W)z^Ô0³0
The ElevatorWilliam Dean Howells8/7/02 <
Agains4the OddsÃ_a>Elizabeth Moon_ _Ô0³0
Change of CommandÃ_a>Elizabeth Moon_z^Ô0³0
Hunting PartyÃ_a>Elizabeth Moon _10/02 <
Rules of EngagementElizabeth Moon7Ô0¯0ë0þ]Ô0³0
Sporting ChanceÃ_a>Elizabeth Moon _10/02 <
Winning ColorsÃ_a>Elizabeth Moon _10/02 <
Once a HeroElizabeth Moon7/1ñ]Ô0³0
Fallen AngelsÃ_a>Larr9NiveâwJerr9Pournelle7/4/02 <
The Years of Rice and SaltÃ_a>Kim Stanle9Robinson_16/02 <
American Empire: The Victorious OppositionÃ_a>Harr9Turtledove_20/02 <
Ruled BritanniaHarry Turtledove7(W) _Ô0³0
>The House of MirthÃ_a>Edith Wharton8(W) _Ô0³0
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Ã_a>The overall film list has been moved to a separate page.Ã_a>Ã_h4  <0class="center">Spoke

The overall music list has been moved to a separate page.Ã_a>Ã_h4  <0class="center">Spoke

 À-- revels-dress-12-15-0ô^revels-dress-12-15-0ô^revels-dress-12-15-0ô^** PLAYS CHRONOLOGICAL revels-dress-12-15-0ô^revels-dress-12-15-0ô^revels-dress-12-15-0ô^**-- 
Plays:
November 29, 20(åe)Ã_a>Lorraine BraccoThe Graduate
November Õ0¡0é0Ã0É0, 2001Ã_a>Helen Mirren, Ian McKellnThe Dance of Death-August Strindberg
September 30, 2000Ã_a>Tova/Black Box Theatre, Cornell UniversityThe Maids-Jean Genet
Mayµ0ó0Á0ü0à00,()000Kelse9Gramme¾yColonial TheatreMacbeth
Ma926, 2000Ã_a>The Huntington Theatre Co.King Hedle9II
Septemberµ0ó0Á0ü0à0, 1999Ã_a>The Publick TheatreNine
August(N)1, 1999Orange Tree Theatre, Ithaca, N.Y.Sonata
Augus4Ó0ë0, 1999Ã_a>Firehouse Theatre, Ithaca, N.Y.Sister Mary Ignatius Explains i4All For Yo5
Ma9( g)((g)9Newton SoutvvNorth High SchoolsRichard II!?
December 18, 1998Newton North High SchoolThe Bone Violin, Ma9Flies
November (*h), 1998Ã_a>Newton North High SchoolTo Kill a Mockingbird Ã_table> À--ëXplays -->

SpokeÃ_p> Ã_a> À-- travels -->
Travels:Ã_a>Ã_span 
November(N)1-24, 2007Ã_a>Plantation, Florida
September(N)5-28, 2007Ã_a>Las Vegas, Nevada
Augus418((g)5,(N)007Truro, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
November ( g)((g)6,(N)006Plantation, Florida
September 25((g)8,(N)006Las Vegas (Interbike)
June 10-20, 2006Ã_a>Santa Cruz, California
May 5-7, 2006Ã_a>Aurora, Indiana
November(N)3,(N)005Plantation, Florida
September(N)6-29, 2005Ã_a>Interbike, Las Vegas, Nevada
Augus426((g)8,(N)005'Bentride(N)005, Bath, N.Y.
Jul9((g)4,(N)005Famil9Reunion, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
April 29, 2005Ã_a>Cirque de Cyclisme, Greensboro, N.C.
Februar916, 2005Ã_a>Indianapolis
November 24, 2004Ã_a>Plantation, Florida
October 8,(N)004Santa Cruz, California
October 4, 2004Ã_a>Las Vegas, Nevada
June 8,(N)004France, England
December(N)2,(N)003Halifax, Nova Scotia
November 27, 20Ô0³0Ã_a>Florida
Octoberµ0ó0Á0ü0à01,(N)003Potomac, Maryland
October 10, 20Ô0³0Ã_a>Las Vegas, Nevada
September(N)1,(N)003New York, N.Y.
November 27Ð0ü0ì0ë00,(N)002New York, N.Y.
October 8-13,(N)002Evanston, Illinois
October 4-8, 20(åe)Ã_a>Las Vegas, Nevada
Jul93-9,(N)002Canso, Nova Scotia
May(N)4-27, 20(åe)Ã_a>Long Island, New York
November ((g)4,(N)001New York City
October 16-19,(N)001Cape Cod, Massachusetts
September 29-Octoberµ0ó0Á0ü0à0, 2001Ã_a>Las Vegas, Nevada (Interbike Show)
June 16-Õ0¡0é0Ã0É0, 2001Ã_a>Nags Head, North Carolina
October 5-14, 2000Ã_a>Evanston, Illinois
Septemberµ0ó0Á0ü0à00-October 2,(N)000Ithaca, New York
June(N)2-25, 2000Ã_a>Urbanna, Virginia
October 7-Ó0ë0, 1999Ã_a>ChicagówEvanston, Illinois
Augus419((g)8, 1999Ithaca, New York
August 12-Ó0ë0, 1999Ã_a>Ithaca, Ne7York
Jul9Õ0¡0é0Ã0É0((g)5, 1999Bridgeton, Maine
November 25((g)8, 1998For4Lauderdale, Florida
1988-89France, England
Yucatan, Mexico
1975Ã_a>England, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Turkey
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