Review: Year of the Monkey

Amazon

From Year of the Monkey, by Patti Smith:


Coffee denied, I sat on the outside bench going over the edges of the night before. It was the last of three nights in a row performing at the Fillmore and I was pulling the strings off my Stratocaster when some guy with a greasy ponytail leaned over and puked on my boots. The last gasp of 2015, a spray of vomit ushering in the New Year. A good or bad sign?"

Serendipity brought this memoir by Patti Smith to me. Patti Smith is an accomplished poet, author, artist and punk rocker who, to my embarrassment, has escaped my knowledge up to now. My loss.

The Call of the Wild (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Call of the Wild (2020): Disneyfied Jack London, with men less violent, dogs less abused, and wolves not very wild at all. CGI animals show Hollywood doesn't need real animals any more. If only they wouldn't give them human expressions. Still, a good family movie. B-

POTD: Commerce on the Altiplano

From 2019 08 23 Puno

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the highway between Cuzco and Puno, Peru. It shows a roadside market at 14,222 feet. And some damn fine hats being worn by the women selling to the tourists who stop.

Bonus photos after the jump.

POTD: Peru Rail Crossing the Altiplano

From 2019 08 23 Puno

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the highway between Cuzco and Puno, Peru. Look closely. It shows a Peru Rail train crossing the high plain. The altitude here is about 14,000 feet. According to Wikipedia, "the Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain") is the area where the Andes are the widest. It is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside Tibet."

POTD: Cuyeria

From 2019 08 23 Puno

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the highway between Cuzco and Puno, Peru. It shows a cuyeria, or cafeteria that specializes in serving cuy, or guinea pig. Yep, it's a thing in Peru.

Walk with the Mayor: Spring Creek Nature Area

From 2020 02 22 Spring Creek Nature Area

Paul Voelker, mayor of Richardson, leads informal walking tours in Richardson on an irregular basis. February 22's tour was of the Spring Creek Nature Area, including a side tour of two small historic cemeteries in the area, including the burial place of Jacob Routh, the settler who once owned the land.

Fifteen Richardson residents joined the mayor on a beautiful Saturday afternoon for this easy walk. Be on the lookout for future walks and take advantage of this opportunity to meet the mayor and see the best that Richardson has to offer.

More photos from the walk are after the jump.

POTD: Raqch'i Women

From 2019 08 23 Puno

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Raqchi, Peru. Like I've said before, the women of Peru have the best hats in the world.

After the jump, a bonus photo of another hat style.