October 18, 2013
Dear Everyone:
A few weeks ago, “Frankie” came to the
Bay Area for a visit.
Some friends of hers were coming to some sort of conference or
seminar and “Frankie” was able to get a “companion fare” for a
substantial fraction of what a regular ticket would cost.
So she came and spent about a week at “Jeannie’s” place.
At one point, she wanted to go with me to a movie, so we picked
Prisoners.
The movie is called Prisoners,
but it would be better to call it
Monsters. I can see why
the producers chose a different title.
They wouldn’t want anyone to think it’s just another
Halloween
scare flick. But it truly is
about monsters.
Two children are abducted by a monster.
But the police have trouble finding the monster because all the
monsters look like regular people.
People are perceived to be monsters when they’re not.
People are perceived to be “normal” who are really monsters.
People, in desperation, become the monster they think they’re
fighting. People are
ultimately revealed to be monsters with the flimsiest of excuses for why
they are monsters; “I hate God” is a pretty pathetic excuse for
anything.
Actors eat this stuff up.
We’re talking the opening of
Oscar Season here.
Last week, I got a text message from a friend.
It consisted of three words:
“Go see Gravity”. So
“Jeannie” and I went last weekend.
Gravity stars
Oscar-winners Sandra Bullock and
George Clooney.
This is one of those movies where the special effects will make
or break it. In this case,
they help to make it. What
really makes it is Bullock’s performance.
In a parallel universe, Bullock is a scientist on assignment to work on
something in space in orbit around the Earth.
Disaster strikes.
Bullock goes from terrified to competent and back several times, all in
weightlessness. From the
heights of hope to the depths of despair, from desolation to renewal,
and everything in between.
It’s a real tour de force.
As for George, he’s just there for the
marquee value.
After the movie, we went to a nearby craft super-store.
“Jeannie” was looking for some kind of crochet-or-knit pattern.
I don’t think she found it, but she did pick up a booklet for a
friend who has expressed an interest in learning to
crochet.
As for me, I’m just kicking back, enjoying being unemployed
(r-e-t-i-r-e-d) again. I did
agree to be on the board of my
Homeowners’ Association, but nothing has
come of that yet. The
“election” concludes next week.
And I “volunteered” to help develop the ARMA Spring Seminar for next
March. Not to speak, or
anything. Just said “OK”
when the Mt Diablo Chapter president said she needed volunteers and
looked straight at me. So
far we’ve had two conference calls and decided that next year’s effort
will take place in “Silicon Valley” and probably around the first week
in March, once a venue has been found.
They said they needed a “theme” to “pull everything together” and
“brand” the “marketing”. So
I sent in three possibilities, none of which the
Pacific Region Manager
particularly liked. My
personal favorite: “The
Future Is Not What It Used To Be”
The runners-up: “Time
Marches On, But Technology Travels At Warp Speed” and “This Ain’t Your
Grandpa’s Records Management” (Then:
Records were stored in basements.
Now: Records are
stored in clouds.)
And he didn’t like any of them.
Huh.
Love, as always,
Pete
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