Well, it looks as if I’m closing out 2006 without a single ride in December. And that after only one single ride in November. That last I was on the bike (not including commuting, around town, and trainer) was November 11.
Still, I ended the year with slightly over 2500 miles, not including (as a guess) [...]
The books I read in 2006:
You can search for these if you’re interested in the MBLN or amazon links or the comments.
Death at the priory : love, sex, and murder in Victorian England by James Ruddick
Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
The Mabinogion
Captain Cook’s final voyage : the journal of midshipman George Gilbert
Above the [...]
Netflix rentals of 2006.
These link to Netflix. Use Search to find the IMDb link and comments.
Dick Tracy
35 Up
Stingray: The Complete Series: Vol. 1
28 Up
Winged Migration
Journey to the Center of the Earth
21 Up
March of the Penguins
Seven Up / 7 Plus Seven
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Fireball XL5: Disc 1 (5-Disc Series)
Waking Ned Devine
Miss Marple: Collection 2: Disc 2 [...]
[amazon] [MBLN]
Charles Bravo was murdered by poisoning five months after his marriage to Florence Ricardo. Florence, a very wealthy widow tarnished by a scandalous affair with her doctor, 25 years her senior, is the prime suspect. That physician, the famous Dr. Gully, physician to Darwin, and the queen herself, is also a prime suspect. Florence’s [...]
[netflix] [IMDb]
Very disappointing. I generally like these Republic Serials, but this one was a snore. So much, that I couldn’t get past the first 1/2 hour installment. Tracy was just too good. The clown was too clowny. The waif was too waifish.
[netflix] [IMDb]
The, let’s see … (7x=35) Fifth installment of the Up series where director Michael Apted visits the same 14 kids every seven years to see how their lives are going.
They’re going along. Beyond that, there really isn’t much to say. Some of the stories are interesting, but I’m more and more confused about what [...]
Diabetics Confront a Tangle of Workplace Laws – New York Times
I’m glad I’m self-employed.
[amazon] [MBLN]
Awesome book. I really need to rent the 1956 movie again because I cannot remember the ending.
Mill Valley California is invaded by pods from outer space that quietly duplicate every person in town. The change is subtle but noticed, and Dr. Miles Bennell must protect his friend (and girlfriend) from becoming a pod person. [...]
[netflix] [IMDb]
The fourth installment of Michael Apted’s “Up” series which interviewed 14 seven-year-olds in 1964 and re-interviewed them every seven years thereafter. It’s 1985 and they’re now 28 years old.
They’re all real people now, well set on life’s course. Two have declined to participate in the film. Things have turned out nearly as expected for [...]
[netflix] [IMDb]
An accidental discovery tempts Professor Oliver Lindenbrook (James Mason) and his grad student assistant Alec McEwen (Pat Boone) to follow Arne Saknussem’s ill fated trip to the center of the earth. A big budget adventure story with some pretty okay special effects (for the time). Pat Boone gets top billing!?! I know he was [...]
[netflix] [IMDb]
Absolutely stunning photography. A crew of seeming thousands follows migrating bird as they, well, migrate. Travelling to all seven continents, the photographers fly with the birds (in ultralights and paragliders as we learn in the “making of” featurette) to get a bird’s eye view of the activities. (They spent a bit too much time [...]
[netflix] [IMDb]
The third installment of Michael Apted’s “Up” series which interviewed 14 seven-year-olds in 1964 and re-interviewed them every seven years thereafter.
They’re more or less adults now; many in school, some married, some on career paths. Some have had dissapointments (the jockey thing didn’t work out), some have had successes. About what you’d expect. This [...]
Bill designed to boost bike safety headed to Romney’s desk – Boston.com
I’m not quite sure what to think about this. Would this have done anything to prevent the dooring I saw last week? I think not.
I also have no doubt that (at least the Boston) police will jump at the chance to stop and fine [...]
Diabetes breakthrough
Interesting reading from the National Post.
[amazon] [MBLN]
A collection of medieval Welsh tales translated by Gwyn Jones and Thomas Jones. Only the first four stories are actually The Mabinogion, the others are collected Welsh stories where some of the same characters (including King Arthur) appear. At least that’s what the reviews say. I wasn’t able to make my way through [...]
[netflix] [IMDb]
It’s been a long time since I’ve watch a Basil Rathbone Holmes movie. This is an example of why. While it’s not excremental, it’s pretty bad. In 1943, Holmes flies to Washington on the trail of a document stolen from a red herring courier who later shows up dead. Now, I can deal with [...]
[netflix] [IMDb]
7 Up was a television news documentary type thing that started with the premise “Give me a boy until age seven and I will show you the man”. To that end, in 1964, the producers interviewed fourteen seven-year-old English kids of varying backgrounds. This project has become a 49-year (so far) project of interviewing [...]
[MBLN] [IMDb]
In the 1970s and 1980s, the BBC recorded every one of Shakespeare’s plays. This is one.
This isn’t one of my favorites. It’s billed as a comedy, but it’s not very funny. I suppose at the time it might have been funny to explore the occult and have “sprits and shapes” flitting about the stage, [...]
[IMDB] [Netflix]
A documentary of a year in the life of the Emporer Penguins of Antarctica. The flim makers spent 13 months in Antarctica to film the comings and goings, births, lives and deaths of one group (city?) of penguins near the French research station. It’s a spectacularly filmed spectacle, there’s no doubt about that. And [...]
[MBLN] [IMDb]
In the 1970s and 1980s, the BBC recorded every one of Shakespeare’s plays. This is one.
Again, a very good performance by everyone. I found Philip the Bastards (George Costigan) speaking directly to the camera a bit off putting, but that’s my only criticism. And again, I’ve seen so many of these people in other [...]
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