Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Evanston: the world is; two good movies; the difference between amateurs and professionals

        The world is far, far, far, far, far too much with me.
        So the other evening when Carol was trying to salvage what she can from various airline tickets we had already bought to go back and forth to Hilton Head, I told her not to change mine for August 31, when we both had planned to fly there ahead of Labor Day.  
        As mentioned here before I have agreed to speak at the Chesapeake Maritime Museum's Small Boat Festival at St. Michaels, Maryland, on October 6.
        I need to go to sea and, if the weather cooperates, I will sail up there in early September.  Cooperating weather in September, the height of the hurricane season, is a big ‘if’.
        The distance from Hilton Head to Norfolk is about 500 nautical miles.  There are several places in the first half where I could stop if necessary, most likely Beaufort, North Carolina.  
        St. Michaels is about another 120 miles north of Norfolk with numerous anchorages along the way.
        GANNET is passage ready.  All I will have to do is put on some provisions and water.  That shouldn’t take more than a day or two.  I could do it in one if I Uber to the supermarket rather than bike, but I will probably bike.
         I really need to go to sea.
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        Recently Carol and I have watched two good movies brought to my attention by readers.  I thank Tim for writing about HOSTILES on his site--scroll down to 'The Flint Hills Tell Their Own Story, and I thank David for emailing me about YOUTH.
        We rented both from iTunes.
        You can find many reviews online.
        Here are links to the NY TIMES.
        HOSTILES
        YOUTH
        If you watch them, be sure to pay attention to the very last scene in each.  The last moment in HOSTILES is cool.  In the one in YOUTH the Michael Caine character does something that for impeccable reasons he said he never would.  All I can think of is that some studio executive thought it would look good with the credits.  If you can explain it better, let me know.

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        A friend who is about to embark with his wife on a perhaps endless cruise recently wrote that he hopes not to have adventures.
        I agree entirely.
        Amateurs seek adventures.  Professionals seek to avoid them.