Here and There Blog

After a year on the road, I am happy to be in Carlsbad. While the sunset wasn't the most photogenic, it was still great simply because I got to see it. A year ago I was in Guayaquil waiting to escape Ecuador and now I have the wonderful moment of not being at an airport tonight. The new year will ring in with Karl Strauss and while I never expected this a year ago, Doctor Who. All in all, it seems perfect.  Wishing everyone a wonderful 2013. Happy New Year!

Once I had the luck to see Les Misérables performed onstage at the Kennedy Theater in Washington, DC. The actors and that stage production were superb and I don't think they'll ever be matched. Even then, I had my usual thought that the play was too long and there are too many songs. After seeing the movie version, which is good, I still have the same thoughts. For those who don't know, the story centers around Jean Valjean, our hero, and Inspector Javert, the foe. The two men's paths intersect over the years and both men strive for ideals as they understand their world and each of them is capable of doing wrong. If these two are not cast right, the play or movie will fail. In this production both Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe do a great acting job. I get their singing isn't perfect but it's better than what I can do. Set in France, early 1800's, life centers on the not so fortunate in life and what they do to survive. It's not pretty, in fact grim ...

The first part of this review is easy. If you are a Tarantino fan, especially if you are male, then you'll love this movie and don't need to read on. Go see it already. Then if you like but don't feel Tarantino is god in everything he does, then you'll mostly like Django Unchained . Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill Vol. 1 are my two favorites but the rest I can take or leave. Django Unchained was almost my new favorite up until the 2:20 mark where it should have ended but then started going on and on to where I almost didn't care anymore. Luckily the last 10 minutes picks back up but this could have been a great 2:30 movie instead of a nearly 3 hour movie. All things considered, knowing the key character is a slave and other characters are slavers, this is not a movie about slavery and revenge. At it's heart, Django Unchained is an old style western, complete with landscape, guns, horses, scenery, and great music. Tarantino is the master of building up the pace...

Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln. It must be good right? Given that Spielberg's movies sometimes go on too long I wasn't sure about Lincoln but since it was right at 2.5 hours, it was the Christmas Day movie. I like that the story centered around the 13th amendment and stuck with that period of time. Lincoln as a lifetime epic movie has been done many times and it was refreshing to focus on one thing. For me, I thought the work that took place and the back dealings to get the votes interested and it's probably still similar in Washington today. Lincoln is well told with only a few of the usual embellishments to show sides of history that we might not know about. Mary Todd Lincoln's fights with her husband, their son Tad's run of the house, members of Congress are all given consideration. I can see why both Day-Lewis and Sally Field were nominated for Golden Globe awards. Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens was for his role in passage of the 13th amendmen...

No group photo this year but the four of us went out for pizza and beer/soft drinks to celebrate without a mess at home! Mrs. OB and I fill in for the cheers!

Could Peter Jackson do it? Return to Middle Earth with a different story all these years later and keep the integrity and feel of LOTR without mucking it up? If you are a fan, then yes, success! To a critic, The Hobbit isn't perfect. I can see both sides but as a fan, I was happy. Everything ties in. The Hobbit is a shorter, lighter book and centers around Bilbo and his adventure. To tie this in with events 60 years later and make for a 6 part movie, the writers turned to side events in Tolkien writing to integrate back stories with The Hobbit. It worked. The characters in The Hobbit had to be made more likable for the audience to cheer them on. The dwarves in the book were lacking charm and grace so in the movie version they are more well rounded characters rather than burping fools. The casting for Bilbo and Thorin was perfect and add in Gollum and The Hobbit had a central and intriguing group of fighters and foes. On the flip side, at nearly 3 hours, what on earth could b...

Disneyland decorates slightly different each year for the holidays so there is always something new to see. The crowds were less this year due to the morning rain which gave way to a decent day and while not a zero wait day, a reduced wait day for the attractions. Over in Cars Land, the trees were decorated by Cars.  While on Main Street, a traditional tree was up. Sleeping Beauty's Castle was dignified.  While tires made for wreaths back in Cars Land.  And the tree of orange cones was one of the whimsical ones.

If you want to unplug, the place to do it is in Queensland about 90 minutes out of Brisbane. The country is relaxing, the wifi not plentiful and the wine always good. This was a nice way to unwind after the fast pace of work in New Zealand! Actually this wasn't so fun as they were having a heat wave. I went from cold rain in NZ to hot, hot, summer in 3 hours!  But it was still relaxing!

 At first, we thought Tui beer = Tui early learners. Then we realized Tui is a bird. But really, what is the below pill shop about? We looked in the window but the pill shop was empty. That's a good sign, not everyone needs to stock up on pills. But living here for 10 days, I can understand why they need recreation!

Just outside of Palmerston North is a slight mountain range and lots of farms.  And energy farms.  Luckily there are trash cans even for doggie bags. Yup, I've almost run out of things to blog about in Palmerston North.

No longer in use or even with a foothold, the bridge to nowhere was one of 15 suspension bridges built in the early 1900's to support the flax industry. Today, the bridge sits on the land as a historic site.

This is in-between Palmerston North and Wellington. A shallow bay where you can only fish by hand held lines.    

From the city center of Wellington you can take a cable car up the hill to the university. At the top of the hill is the Cable Car Museum (free) the Botanic Gardens (free) and the planetarium. You can get a one-way ride up and walk down the hill. View from the top. Below, inside the Cable Car Museum. The seats are sloped since the old cars went steep up and down.    View from the top.

We had a day off work and did the two hour drive to Wellington. Again luck was with us and it was a mostly sunny day with great city views. This is driving into town from the north.  Only one sailboat in the water.  Looking across the harbor to the colorful houses on the hill. This is only a quick blog while I get caught up. Had a few really busy week at work!

The Huia bird, prized by the Maori for their feathers which only high ranking people could wear. The last confirmed sighting of this bird was in 1907 so no more feathers for anyone.  Care for a game?  Below, not quite totem poles but similar look.  This structure was built between 1908 and 1912 to keep the river flow away from the embankment at the time to prevent erosion.

Really, there are a lot more churches in this small town than normal. Wikipedia even says so. Here's St. Patrick's Cathedral.  And St. Patrick nesting in his cathedral.  Oops! St. Patrick can't have a Guinness. He's in the liquor ban area. No drinking on the streets.

Like I said, it's kept simple here. Need a church? This is the place! One of many.  St. Andrews but St. Patrick's is only a short drive.  Strange reflection but cool church. One more. This one is advertising Avenue Q but it looks like it's with Muppets.

They keep it simple here. Places are clearly marked and names are easy. The Square is a square park area in the middle of town. The Christmas tree is decorated and ready for Santa even though the roses are in bloom below. The clock tower never lets us forget what time it is.  Lots of roses are in bloom right now.  Ducks roam about the park and hang out in the pond.  Time for a rest!

Have moved out of Auckland to Palmerston North, which is south of Auckland and there doesn't seem to be a Palmerston center or south. Small town surrounded by farms. View of roof tops. I'm going to have to find the river today for something photogenic.