This is the Folsom, New Mexico, cemetery on a cool November afternoon. I like the yellows of the grass with the blues of the skies. Centered almost exactly are the graves of those who used to in habit the now sleepy town.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, September 17, 2007
Balloon pop
It's not easy shooting a balloon off the back off a horse with a gun, while riding a slalom pattern. Somehow these folks manage just fine.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
300 Review
I went to see 300 the other day. The theater was packed, as I gather the thing was well advertised. There were a lot of kids there too, which always bugs me, since there is a lot of graphic violence involved. I have always liked the story of Thermopolae Pass, and I have been a fan of Frank Miller's work for awhile. I even watched the old version of the 300 Spartans (1960s) awhile back to get ready for this one.
I liked the film a lot for the graphics, and the over-the-top nature of the battle. The original story was written like a myth or legend and the film keeps true to a lot of it. I would have liked to have a little more back story, about why the Spartans were needed at that particular moment, i.e., to slow the advance of the Persians so the Athenian navy could get ready.
The film focuses mostly on the battle itself, which does again follow the original storyline better than the 1960s film. King Leonidis serves as their leader during the battle, and was fun for me to watch. He appeared to be modeled after a greek statue, so he looked the part. The dialogue was campy, but so was the rest of the film. It is weird that you never see all 300 in one spot, more like 12-15 at a time, and it always seems like the same 15 on the front line, including Leonidas himself.
ther battle scenes were well filmed in a sepia tone, and well over the top. It looked like there were a lot of leftover creatures from Lord of the Rings that they plugged into the breach to try to dislodge the 300 from their pass. Xerxes was like eight feet tall and somewhat effiminate.
It appeared the movie had an agenda to put forth. It pitted the 300 crazy white and buff warriors against the homosexual, gay, black, grotesque horde. The folks back home, who didn't seem to support the war because of a religious festival, went on and on about freedom, but at the same time, were bought off by the flaming black and grotesque horde. I tried to frame it in the context of modern day America, and the pieces didn't fit very well. Maybe I was trying to read too much into it.
The thing I really like about the story is the aspect of dying for a cause against insurmountable odds. Stories like the Alamo and Masada have always fascinated me, partly because they are historical, partly because it is interesting that these people didn't give in. I understand it was to save the greek way of life, but I just wish they had made the cause for dying more clear.
Some lingering questions I have about it:
Why does a king need a senate?
At the end, why does he go for a head shot on Xerxes when he could have clearly gone for a kill? He was close enough and had ample time to prepare this shot, and he was really good with a spear.
How did those old guys get up on that oracle place?
Was that Faramir?
I liked the film a lot for the graphics, and the over-the-top nature of the battle. The original story was written like a myth or legend and the film keeps true to a lot of it. I would have liked to have a little more back story, about why the Spartans were needed at that particular moment, i.e., to slow the advance of the Persians so the Athenian navy could get ready.
The film focuses mostly on the battle itself, which does again follow the original storyline better than the 1960s film. King Leonidis serves as their leader during the battle, and was fun for me to watch. He appeared to be modeled after a greek statue, so he looked the part. The dialogue was campy, but so was the rest of the film. It is weird that you never see all 300 in one spot, more like 12-15 at a time, and it always seems like the same 15 on the front line, including Leonidas himself.
ther battle scenes were well filmed in a sepia tone, and well over the top. It looked like there were a lot of leftover creatures from Lord of the Rings that they plugged into the breach to try to dislodge the 300 from their pass. Xerxes was like eight feet tall and somewhat effiminate.
It appeared the movie had an agenda to put forth. It pitted the 300 crazy white and buff warriors against the homosexual, gay, black, grotesque horde. The folks back home, who didn't seem to support the war because of a religious festival, went on and on about freedom, but at the same time, were bought off by the flaming black and grotesque horde. I tried to frame it in the context of modern day America, and the pieces didn't fit very well. Maybe I was trying to read too much into it.
The thing I really like about the story is the aspect of dying for a cause against insurmountable odds. Stories like the Alamo and Masada have always fascinated me, partly because they are historical, partly because it is interesting that these people didn't give in. I understand it was to save the greek way of life, but I just wish they had made the cause for dying more clear.
Some lingering questions I have about it:
Why does a king need a senate?
At the end, why does he go for a head shot on Xerxes when he could have clearly gone for a kill? He was close enough and had ample time to prepare this shot, and he was really good with a spear.
How did those old guys get up on that oracle place?
Was that Faramir?
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Espanola, New Mexico
I have been reading with some interest the police blotter of Espanola, New Mexico. This was one town over from the one I grew up in, Los Alamos, New Mexico. It was equally strange for other reasons, and of course a lot more secretive about everything, espacially its suicides, cancer rates, and alcoholism.
Most local news seems to be about personal tragedy anyways (car wrecks, murders, fires, suicide, etc.). Stuff like alcoholism which is equally common is usually buried if reported at all. But with this blotter from Espanola, I ended up cutting a lot of the "detox reports" out of these blotters simply because they are so commonplace. What that leaves is usually the weird and bizarre behaviors that make for good reading. So much of them are simply sketches of stories that are probably much more interesting and frightening. there are a lot of more mundane entries, but much of it reads like an idea book from David Lynch or Quenton Tarrantino.
Most local news seems to be about personal tragedy anyways (car wrecks, murders, fires, suicide, etc.). Stuff like alcoholism which is equally common is usually buried if reported at all. But with this blotter from Espanola, I ended up cutting a lot of the "detox reports" out of these blotters simply because they are so commonplace. What that leaves is usually the weird and bizarre behaviors that make for good reading. So much of them are simply sketches of stories that are probably much more interesting and frightening. there are a lot of more mundane entries, but much of it reads like an idea book from David Lynch or Quenton Tarrantino.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Spaceport America
Next week I will be heading up the cultural resources survey of what will probably become the first Commercial Spaceport in the United States. There are some private entities, such as the one near Van Horn Texas, run by Jeff Bezos, the Amazon guy.
This place in New Mexico holds some promise because of its geographical location. It is situated in the middle of nowhere, in an area of up planet rotation from White Sands Missile Range. Thus, if crashed occur, they would fall on an equally barren piece of desert.
The work is being done for an Environmental Impact statement or EIS. Already the project is drawing fire from a couple of groups, including those who don't want a tax levied on them to support right guys going into space at their expense. Another group is irritated because the Camino Real (the Spanish Royal Road extending from Mexico to Santa Fe) will be somehow be harmed by the presence of the rockets. I see their point, though much of the Camino Real is under houses and towns already. The ruts of the old Spanish Carretas can still be clearly seen in places with Yahoo maps. The Google Earth picture of the area is pretty poor.
To me, there are a lot better sites in the areas they want to build launch pads and landing strips on than that old road anyways. Previous surveys have shown that the site density is pretty high out there already, and we're getting prepped for a lot more sites this time.
Whether the thing actually happens is still up in the air. Public comment could always bring the whole scenario to a crashing halt. Either way I get paid, and we get to learn a lot of interesting stuff about the local archaeology. What we know now is that there are sites dating to 9,000 - 10,000 years old, Archaic sites, Cermaic period sites, Spanish Colonial period sites, Historic American Ranches, and now the future: rockets.
This place in New Mexico holds some promise because of its geographical location. It is situated in the middle of nowhere, in an area of up planet rotation from White Sands Missile Range. Thus, if crashed occur, they would fall on an equally barren piece of desert.
The work is being done for an Environmental Impact statement or EIS. Already the project is drawing fire from a couple of groups, including those who don't want a tax levied on them to support right guys going into space at their expense. Another group is irritated because the Camino Real (the Spanish Royal Road extending from Mexico to Santa Fe) will be somehow be harmed by the presence of the rockets. I see their point, though much of the Camino Real is under houses and towns already. The ruts of the old Spanish Carretas can still be clearly seen in places with Yahoo maps. The Google Earth picture of the area is pretty poor.
To me, there are a lot better sites in the areas they want to build launch pads and landing strips on than that old road anyways. Previous surveys have shown that the site density is pretty high out there already, and we're getting prepped for a lot more sites this time.
Whether the thing actually happens is still up in the air. Public comment could always bring the whole scenario to a crashing halt. Either way I get paid, and we get to learn a lot of interesting stuff about the local archaeology. What we know now is that there are sites dating to 9,000 - 10,000 years old, Archaic sites, Cermaic period sites, Spanish Colonial period sites, Historic American Ranches, and now the future: rockets.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Pinewood Derby
We went to the Pinewood Derby yesterday. Zachary took 2nd place in his den. He got the award for most artistic car.
Shadows on the wall
I got to thinking about those who call themselves "Goth" a little more today, and what that term really means. I think as we grow, we go through some really tought times as kids. We tend to repress a lot of anger and hostility to the world, our parents, and our peers. We get some choices on how we cope with those extreme stressors. One way to cope is through spirituality, and the seeking of the light path. Another is to fully embrace our darker selves.
I believe both paths can be somewhat dangerous, for the one tempers the other. Too much white light, and there is a path of righteousness, but no true understanding of who we really are. To much darkness, and we succumb to our baser selves, never knowing a full path either.
This path we walk on is a hero's journey, much like has been described in movies and legend, and by Joseph Cambell. The reason movies like Tarzan, Star Wars, and others are so popular throughout time, is that both light and dark paths are shown, giving the characters more depth as we follow their choices, for good or bad. Horror movies, too, show us the darker side of our being. Zombies, werevolves, vampires, and other monsters all represent the shadow places in us all.
In our society, we are always told to seek the light, mostly through religion and morality, without ever being able to understand that which we repress, deny, or otherwise do not come to grips. We also don't have a much of a mechanism to cross over from being children to adults, which in my opinion, allows us to take in to us that darker part of our existence. This change comes when we must leave our mother's ams show our parents we can stand on our own as adults. These rites of passage exist in many primitive cultures even now, and they are working their way back into our society as well. Much of the piercing and tattoos I see on our teens these days is clearly their manner of a rite of passage. These rituals are played out every day, but are not always a good crossover to adulthood, because the parents must also recognize the change.
The lack of some sort of rite of passage for our children often leads to a lifetime of anger at the parents and society in general.
I believe both paths can be somewhat dangerous, for the one tempers the other. Too much white light, and there is a path of righteousness, but no true understanding of who we really are. To much darkness, and we succumb to our baser selves, never knowing a full path either.
This path we walk on is a hero's journey, much like has been described in movies and legend, and by Joseph Cambell. The reason movies like Tarzan, Star Wars, and others are so popular throughout time, is that both light and dark paths are shown, giving the characters more depth as we follow their choices, for good or bad. Horror movies, too, show us the darker side of our being. Zombies, werevolves, vampires, and other monsters all represent the shadow places in us all.
In our society, we are always told to seek the light, mostly through religion and morality, without ever being able to understand that which we repress, deny, or otherwise do not come to grips. We also don't have a much of a mechanism to cross over from being children to adults, which in my opinion, allows us to take in to us that darker part of our existence. This change comes when we must leave our mother's ams show our parents we can stand on our own as adults. These rites of passage exist in many primitive cultures even now, and they are working their way back into our society as well. Much of the piercing and tattoos I see on our teens these days is clearly their manner of a rite of passage. These rituals are played out every day, but are not always a good crossover to adulthood, because the parents must also recognize the change.
The lack of some sort of rite of passage for our children often leads to a lifetime of anger at the parents and society in general.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Welcome Goth Chicks!
A friend of mine over at the Gospel of the Living Dead blog indicated to me that through his linking here, I would be inundated with the Goth community. Hopefully they are having a good read of his book, as it is well worth the price.
I am not sure how Goth relates to zombies, other than zombies are related in some measure to our darker nature, vampires and other undead. To make sure, I typed in "What is Goth?" into Google, and came up with some interesting results. One of the interesting things I found out is that I like a lot of the same things as the Goth crowd.
I love red lipstick on women, especially with pale skin and dark hair.
I consider myself a student of the pagan and witchy arts.
I do wear black quite a bit.
I own a black cloak and several other pieces of vampire-like costumery.
I guess music may be a differing thing these days. I like groups like Enigma, Evanescence, Dead Can Dance, Lorenna McKennitt, Hildegaard Von Bingen, but my tastes also run to the classical and The Ramones, Deep Forest, U2, The Greatful Dead, and Pink Floyd.
At any rate, if the Goth crowd comes to the blog, I want them to feel welcome!
I am not sure how Goth relates to zombies, other than zombies are related in some measure to our darker nature, vampires and other undead. To make sure, I typed in "What is Goth?" into Google, and came up with some interesting results. One of the interesting things I found out is that I like a lot of the same things as the Goth crowd.
I love red lipstick on women, especially with pale skin and dark hair.
I consider myself a student of the pagan and witchy arts.
I do wear black quite a bit.
I own a black cloak and several other pieces of vampire-like costumery.
I guess music may be a differing thing these days. I like groups like Enigma, Evanescence, Dead Can Dance, Lorenna McKennitt, Hildegaard Von Bingen, but my tastes also run to the classical and The Ramones, Deep Forest, U2, The Greatful Dead, and Pink Floyd.
At any rate, if the Goth crowd comes to the blog, I want them to feel welcome!
Surveying in the cold
I walked about 7 miles today. I feel that is a good effort, given the cold temperatures and the 40 mile an hour winds. Not much in terms of archaeology over most of it, but the final hours of the day were given to documenting a site. This finishes off the powerline right-of-way we started last week. We did find one late Paleoindian point, which may relate to a Meserve style.
The site was a lithic scatter of some note, given its size and content. The flaked stone material was almost solely comprised of a black basalt. Specific cobbles local to the ridge they were found one were broken down, and the useful parts hauled away. Tomorrow, we will take the gathered data and make a map with it.
The site was a lithic scatter of some note, given its size and content. The flaked stone material was almost solely comprised of a black basalt. Specific cobbles local to the ridge they were found one were broken down, and the useful parts hauled away. Tomorrow, we will take the gathered data and make a map with it.
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