Talkin' Beards

This Week in Art

The photo to the right was taken during July 2009 at Glacier Point, in Yosemite National Park. It has quickly became an internet sensation, spreading through photo sharing sites such as facebook. Its reception within the art community has been varied, marked by controversy almost as often as by admiration.

What is so charming about this piece is that the artist has dared to depart from the norm. He has chosen a subject that is as profoundly unique as it is perplexing and mundane. One can almost picture him, scrambling about shoeless on the rocks, in search of the most appropriate angle from which to capture this fine specimen of footwear.

The results are worthy of the effort. Critics may reduce the portrait to folly (a mere advertisement at best), but others will find more. See how the grays and blues of the shoe blend with the soft tones of the rocky valley. It is almost as if the colors of the shoe are brought alive by the park, in a joyful reminder that man and nature harmoniously coexist. There is, also, a protagonist. The imposing Half Dome peak is fuzzy, yet undeniably ruling the horizon. The mountain is issuing its ever-present challenge: Climb if you dare! With that challenge, it all comes back to the shoe, which likewise dares the viewer to expand his own horizons about what attributes make art truly valuable.

When a person brings a camera to a place like Glacier Point, it is most often put to use for portraits of friends. Those who wish to be photographed here must suppose that the dramatic backdrop of Yosemite's famous vista will be something that they can one day point to, as proof that their lives have been lived well - that they have seen many distant and marvelous sites. Others make an attempt to capture the overwhelming natural beauty of the location. They take careful aim toward the breathtaking cliffs, squinting with determination into the mass-produced view finders of their $200 point-and-shoots (the kind they bought after they saw Ashton Kutcher present it on television). It is as if, for the moment, they are pretending that this landscape has never before been preserved upon canvas. It is up to them, at least in their minds, to bring this view to the eyes of the world less traveled.

Consider, for a moment, how many photos there must be of Glacier Point. Are they not all, hundreds and hundreds of them, these same two sorts of images? If one must cry "folly", then please level your charge towards one amongst these masses, for surely another will immediately rush to take his place, clamoring, as they do, always to the same cliched vantage points.

Do not follow the way of the impudent grizzly bear, who chooses to dine on the lone salmon found swimming with the current (in the opposite direction of all the other salmons). Instead, make a choice to nurture a solitary pumpkin vine, should you be so lucky as to discover one growing in a field of zucchinis.

Two Locations to Serve You Better!

Cul de sac parking shenanigans will probably continue for as long as there are Suburbans and Explorers to patrol the streets of Park Grossmont. Someone else will need to tell those stories though, because GMLH has left its former headquarters. There is now an El Cajon branch, maintaining the East County presence, as well as an auxiliary San Diego office. The Coupe Deluxe will enjoy its own reserved parking space at the San Diego office, spending each night in the lap of luxury, perhaps never again to lack a safe place to rest its weary CV joints.

What does this mean for you the reader? It means a better blog, that's what. There had been some hope that the Historical Marker review would result in more visits to this site from pottery enthusiasts, especially at this time of year when the Iowa Pottery Association embarks on their annual pilgrimage to Zanesville. There have not been dramatic results from that effort though, so some changes are needed. The direction we've decided to move in for the time being is to have more offices. This will hopefully translate to more blog content.

Lost Dog

What has happened to "Vincent" on LOST? Is there a scientific explanation, tied to recent plot developments, for the disappearance of Walt's furry friend? Or is this just another case of a cast member asking to be written off of the show, ala Mr. Eko? Madison, who plays Vincent on the show (convincing performance by a girl-dog in the role of a boy-dog) turned 63 in dog years during season five, and may just be getting tired.



It could also be the case that Madison has left the show over disappointment with the lack of a prominent role. It is easy to envision a Vincent-centric episode: The audience could learn, via flashback, of a troubled past, in which Vincent is a puppy-mill escapee, and that the puppy-mill was actually run by Charles Widmore, and how anger from experiences at the puppy-mill drove Vincent to become a VERY BAD DOG, and he has never been able to forgive himself to this day.

No such episode has aired, but Madison could, on the other hand, have left the cast over concerns of having too much airtime. With an excessively prominent role on such a memorable program as LOST, Madison runs the risk of getting typecast, and ruining her career. Producers might hesitate to hire a dog like Madison now, believing that audiences will be distracted by the association with LOST, and fail to take scenes with the yellow Labrador seriously.

Review: La Jolla Recreation Center

Home to the rich and famous, La Jolla is a resort neighborhood with striking ocean vistas. It takes some time to get there from the highway, so it is easy to suppose that most patrons of the La Jolla Recreation Center are residents - the aforementioned rich and famous - and they are probably there to play tennis. Something about being in this atmosphere of wealth is conducive to a sort of internal transformation. A person who leads a comfortable lifestyle in reasonable prosperity, may begin to believe that he is underprivileged, and perhaps feel a slight resentment toward these opulent surroundings.

This phenomenon can be used to the advantage of a person who enjoys pickup basketball. During those times when you've lost your swagger, and the bullies, egos and trash talk of a typical pick-up venue have got you down, there can be no better remedy than a couple games amongst opponents who may possibly be perceived as "softer" than you. The experience can really provide that chip on your shoulder that has been missing from your game.

The basketball courts at the La Jolla Recreation Center are therefore worthy of mention. It begins before you even get out of your car. Maneuvering into a parking space between a Bentley and a Maserati, your perspective on life changes: Suppose that you departed from your home in a freshly washed Saturn, still under the manufacturer's warranty. Well, you've now arrived in La Jolla, driving a vehicle that you may simply refer to as your "hooptie" (a large older automobile, often in poor condition).

"NO GOLF" is the message of the sign attached to a rugged chain link fence, overlooking the facility. These forbidding words are driven home, so to speak, by the image of a golf ball, overladen in red with the international symbol for "No". If there could be an opposite to a graffiti covered "No Hanging on the Rims" sign, this is it. Golf must be the main game here, most likely followed by tennis, with basketball pretty far down the list - after shuffle board and croquet. There is presumably little risk that the rims here will be bent by ferocious dunking in the absence of a prominent "no dunking" sign.

So even if you don't have a lot of experience, you can be pretty bold on these courts. Start working on some of your still-in-development moves: Dribble through your legs, dribble through the defender's legs, work on your off-the-backboard passing.

Best of all, there is a very real chance that you will break some rules while playing basketball here. "Pushing" is prohibited, according to the sign posted at center-court, and sportsmanship must be maintained "at ALL Times", so it's not out of the question that a generally law-abiding person, with no criminal record, could get to experience rebellion against oppressive rules from The Man.

New experiences like this are invaluable in the formation of the playground basketball player, and hopefully, when it's all over and you climb into your Saturn hooptie, your newly acquired rugged, rebellious edge will carry over to your home court. Just to be safe though, leave the off-the-backboard passing in La Jolla.

How We Roll: 2010 Mazda 3

Pictured to the right is the 2010 Mazda 3. The second generation "3" has undergone an extensive re-design for the new model year. Mazda of North America has to this point failed to supply a test model to GMLH; however, anyone can tell just from the picture that the 3 is much happier now after its makeover. There is no need to test the car, when it is obvious from just one look that it is really doing well. Look at that big smile! The 2003-2009 Mazda 3 never used to smile like that. Does it really matter how many cupholders or horsepowers the car has? The important thing is that it is happy.

Word Power!

"bun warmers" [bun woor - murs];

-noun.

Origin: Pacific Southwest used car lots.


4. Heated seats, in a car: "Now you'll like this one here - she's got a moon-roof, rain sensing wipers, bun warmers - just a real upscale vehicle, this one."

Movie Review: Roseville Pottery Historical Marker

Let's face it; there are plenty of places where you can go to read a review of the latest movie in theaters. GMLH is meant to be an informative resource to the public, so rather than just adding to the noise with another tired old review of the same movie that everyone else is talking about, today you are treated to a unique review of a film that has been given far less public attention. "Roseville Pottery Historical Marker" is an independently filmed documentary distributed by youtube.



The plot can be tricky to follow, with lots of twists and turns; this is like the LOST of historical-marker documentaries, so let's begin with a review of some key points.

1. The marker commemorates the former site of the Roseville Pottery Company, but the location is in Zanesville, not nearby Roseville, just south on state route 93.
2. Notable attendees include the Mayor of Zanesville (the honorable Howard Zelling), and representatives from the Iowa Art Pottery Association (IAPA), the American Art Pottery Assocaition (AAPA), and the Pottery Lovers (PL). Also notably present, is the very disruptive wind, tire and engine noise from passing traffic.
   
3. Zanesville and Roseville are cities in Ohio, not Iowa. The Iowa Art Pottery Association is just visiting, on some sort of recurring pilgrimage.
4. You're not seeing Roseville, you're not seeing Iowa, and you're not going to get to see any pottery factories. The actual factory here had been razed "a number of years ago", according to IAPA President Ted Priester, who long ago discovered the crumbled remains of the loading dock, which also no longer exist. Priester emphasizes that the Roseville Pottery Works is completely gone; "nothing exists now".

With this background, sit back and thoroughly appreciate the video. Things begin with Ted Priester, who recounts the joyful series of events that led to the discovery of the former site of the pottery works. Ted next graciously introduces the mayor, who issues a rousing pep talk, themed around pottery and Zanesville. "Enjoy Zanesville! We're a town on the move!"

This transition, from Priester to the mayor, has an elegant air of respectful ceremony, but at the same time is contrasted by unrelenting and intensely disruptive road noise from traffic, including an 18 wheeler and a tow truck. The viewer does not know what to make of this: do we celebrate the roadside marker, or mourn the scornful indifference the world shows to it from the very moment of its dedication?

In the next act, the film is infused with an emotional charge, and takes on greater depth. This charge is supplied by Arnie Small, President of the AAPA. "The American Art Pottery Association is just what it is: it's an association of people who just have a passion or a love for art pottery", begins Small.

He goes on to deliver a moving testimonial about what the Roseville Pottery Company means to him and all who call themselves lovers of pottery. He implores pottery enthusiasts to minimize the commercial aspect of pottery; "(I)t's not all about just selling pottery! It's about teaching my son, and the future generation, what the history is of, um, Roseville Pottery".

We are then brought to the final act, in which we hear from the whimsically rural Joe Tunnell. He is president of the Pottery Lovers, who reunite annually in Zanesville. Says Tunnell, with a delivery style reminiscent of Jim Nabors, "For me, and I think I speak for most pottery lovers, I've been coming myself to Zanesville for 18 years. Every year in July, I've been here. You know, I said the first year I came, that I will every single year for the rest of my life, I will be in Zanesville, unless I'm not able to come."

After going from the fist-pounding adrenaline highs of the mayor's speech, to the soul searching and challenging words of Arnie Small, the film brings the viewer softly back to the refreshingly easy subject of the pottery-loving everyman, using a warm touch of comedy. Masterfully done.

Arnie Small sums up this film himself during his memorable speech, by saying "When I heard about this at first, I didn't quite understand the significance of it, and I, um, I think now I understand a little bit more the history of it".

In saying this, Small represents the audience, who come to this film questioning the significance of Roseville Pottery, or the entire genre of art pottery for that matter. The success of this film will be measured by how well it can bring the viewer to think that they understand, a little bit more, pottery and what it means to their own lives.

The Count wrote a new note.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. One! ONE random thing about me! AH! AH!


2. Two! TWO random things about me! AH! AH! AH!
   


3. Three! THREE random things about me! AH! AH!


4. Four! FOUR random things about me! AH! AH!


5. Five! FIVE random things about me! AH! AH!


6. Six! SIX random things about me! AH! AH!


7. Seven! SEVEN random things about me! AH! AH!


8. Eight! EIGHT random things about me! AH! AH!


9. Nine! NINE random things about me! AH! AH!


10. Ten! TEN random things about me! AH! AH!


11. Eleven! ELEVEN random things about me! AH! AH!


12. Twelve! TWELVE random things about me! AH! AH!


13. Thirteen! THIRTEEN random things about me! AH! AH!


14. Fourteen! FOURTEEN random things about me! AH! AH!


15. Fifteen! FIFTEEN random things about me! AH! AH!


16. Sixteen! SIXTEEN random things about me! AH! AH!


17. Seventeen! SEVENTEEN random things about me! AH! AH!


18. Eighteen! EIGHTEEN random things about me! AH! AH!


19. Nineteen! NINETEEN random things about me! AH! AH!


20. Twenty! TWENTY random things about me! AH! AH!


21. Twenty one! TWENTY ONE random things about me! AH! AH!


22. Twenty Two! TWENTY TWO random things about me! AH! AH!


23. Twenty Three! TWENTY THREE random things about me! AH! AH!


24. Twenty Four! TWENTY FOUR random things about me! AH! AH!


25. Twenty Five! TWENTY FIVE random things about me! I love to count! AH! AH! AH!

"To Mock a Killingbird"

Recommended Film: Mongol

Mongol is a Russian-made film in Mongolian language that traces the early life of Genghis Khan, or as he was called before coming to power, Temudjin.

The epic wonderfully presents the thirteenth century Mongolian culture. Before the stunning landscape of the Mongolian steppe, you meet Temudjin in a way different than in the history books. While witnessing the brutality he was capable of, you also see him as human.

Warning for those sensitive to violence: although this movie is primarily a love story, the battle sequences appear to be a showcase in the "blood-splatter" effect.

Mongol is shot and directed in a masterful style. It has the elegance and mystery of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (minus the magic), with a touch of Braveheart.

The style of this prequel is quite a departure from the original Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, but it works. The complexity of Genghis' character in Bill & Ted's makes so much more sense now after seeing his childhood struggles in Mongol.

It's good to see the franchise revitalized after the disappointing Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. I'll look forward to similar prequels highlighting Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, and Socrates.

4 Stars.

How We Roll

How We Roll: 1998 Honda Civic DX Coupe Review

Welcome to "How We Roll", the new automotive review segment on GMLH. I will do my best in this feature to share with the readers some of my expertise of today's finest motor cars. Only motor cars will be reviewed; no carriages, chariots or buggies.

This is the inaugural edition of what will hopefully become a popular recurring feature; however, lacking reputation in car-review circles, and faced with the budgetary restrictions of this blog, a test vehicle becomes a particularly challenging thing to procure. Manufacturers aren't just standing in line, waiting to lend their products to the editors of How We Roll. Not yet. That day may came, but in the mean time, we will have to do our best with a 1998 Honda Civic DX Coupe.

One could do worse: this very same car has actually been mentioned or pictured in multiple posts on this blog in the past. When you step into the cabin, you are entering a piece of history.

The interior of the car lives up to the fame. High quality surface materials and well placed controls are things to be expected of any Honda, but as a bonus, the version we tested came equipped with some unique upgrades. For instance, our critics couldn't say enough about the integrated tape deck audio system with Dolby Noise Reduction, providing crystal-clear cassette tape listening pleasure. Other goodies, including a specially installed imitation-mahogany rubber steering wheel cover (from after-market specialist Wal-Mart), and a set of exquisite, Tasmanian Devil floor mats, created an atmosphere of understated luxury inside the Civic.

This is a drivers car, with a classic stick-shifting transmission. The brakes are another exciting feature; too many lawyers have led us to a market that is flooded with boring, anti-lock braking systems. The Civic DX comes as a breath of fresh air then, with its braking system that most definitely will lock, inducing long, enjoyable slides during even the driest of pavement conditions.

This car has had only two owners, and the original owner took great care of it, keeping complete service records stored in the glove box. The records were, unfortunately, stolen during a late-night breaking-and-entering. No great loss, however; those service records, if we could see them, would have been a short list of oil-changes and tire rotations. Manual transmission, manual locks, manual windows, and a complete lack of an air conditioner leave very few parts to be repaired. Plus, the missing air conditioner *very rare* turned out to be a great conversation starter during summer drives.

In conclusion, the 1998 Honda Civic DX is a reliable car, for fun, windows-down driving. If you are strictly concerned with the ride, and willing to give up pricey options like the Tasmanian Devil floor mats, you might even get behind the wheel for as little as $7500.

Puppy Bowl

Puppy Bowl V ran the same day as Super Bowl XLIII. If you aren't familiar with this event (Puppy Bowl), imagine if someone were to dump a couple dozen puppies onto a little model football field, throw in some chew toys, and then film it. Imagine if this program were to run for two hours. Just a bunch of dogs rolling around and bumping into each other, to the accompaniment of "play-by-play", which, because there are no plays to call, ends up being more of a relentless litany of dog/football related puns.

Two hours, and in case you miss anything, all five Puppy Bowls are available for sale on DVD.

There is no game, there are no points, and there almost is no point... except: If it weren't for the Puppy Bowl, there would be no material to inspire a post on George McFly's Left Hook for the first time in quite a while. GMLH is back. Go tell your friends.