It's a Mad World

I am always amazed at the creativity of these video montages. It goes to show how editing can make or break a story.

In this one the world of Mad Max is superimposed onto the world of the road caper It's a Mad Mad.... World from the 60s. I remember the terminally long film from my childhood with its shameless onslaught of cameos and slapstick. Stars I was familiar with at the time. But by adding a bit of voice-over narration and compelling soundtrack - it almost looks like an apocalyptic satire and could very well work. Share what you think.

 

The Great Escape

I have been talking with this much over friends the last few weeks. Although I love my job, it is difficult for me during summers watching everyone else make their pilgrimages to all parts East & West while I don't have the luxury of a getway during the 3+ months of summer. I have friends checking out Route 66 via convertible,  family trips to the Badlands and the Dells, and European vacations in my Facebook feed. It's not that I don't have access to vacation. It is just that such a large part of our American and World cultures are about that exotic getaway or even the vintage road trip during these summer months. I yearn to be able to just get in the car and drive, destination intact but no itinerary to bind me down.

Maybe that is why this travel promotional ad by Graubunden really ignited something in me. I don't know all their details - if a travel service or train line - but watch this creative marketing campaign. I can tell that it takes place via the train station in Zurich and involves a free ticket for bold travelers. Otherwise I won't give away the genius ploy. All I say, is that I would be On That Train in a second.

Brain Freeze

I'll admit that I have been scattered a bit as of late. Not paying attention to traffic lights, missing bits of conversation.... Hopefully it is a sign of distraction and not the early onset of Ahlzeimers!

Here is a posting on the scientific side from a recent read in the Dispatch Times. If can remember back to High School Biology, you will recall the idea of long & short term memory, neurons, and synapses. Theory has always been that amnesia or other losses were a permanent breakdown in the way the human brain communicates. But new findings (no sources noted?) seem to indicate that the storage in the brain is intact. Instead, it is nerve damage that prevents the signals from being interpreted or accessed. There are new methods being explored called optogenetics - and from what I gather it sounds like a deep tissue massage of the brain with ultrasound that joggles those nerve synapses and can slowly reignite the the pathways to access the memories.

It almost sounds similar to the plotline of the current Pixar feature Inside Out which battles teen depression. Good news for those of us aging and in danger of losing our minds.

Dispatch Times - Lost Memories

Tyne Daly - It Shoulda' Been You

It has been a month now since jumping on the new Gay Marriage proclamation and the Pride parades. But I did find this curtain speech by the triumphant Tyne Daly and just have not had the time to make the posting.

Of course the New York scene and all things Musical Theater were all over this bandwagon when SCOTUS struck down the ruling. But I found her curtain speech especially heartfelt and apropos. I had no idea of her marital status, nor did I realize that she was a pioneer in the civil rights movements decades past. Watch below if you have not already seen it and hear her share her story of marrying a black man in a generation that was also resistant to change and how this new ruling mirrors her own history. Humbling.

 

Biker Road Rage

I have been deliberating on this post for a long month. But it seems to be a regular, if not daily, occurrence on my regular route of Bryant Ave. So in the spirit of friendly virtual venting read on with caution..

I am certainly an advocate of urban living, bike trails and all things public transportation. But I do claim frustration at the arrogance of city bikers who have overtaken the side streets of Minneapolis. I do understand that they need to be recognized and have as much right to me for pavement, especially on designated bike routes like my very own Bryant Ave. But what seems to be entirely lost on them is the concept of Sharing the Road. If I have to be respectful of them, the privilege needs to be returned. Not only because I have a bigger car...

Why do they not have to stop at the same signs and intersections I do? I hate drivers that don't signal their turns and pull out in front of me. When the same happens with bikers it becomes a life threatening situation. Not for me in my Ford Escape, but for them on their sporty Schwinn. Then I also get that you are traveling in sync with another biker, but that does not qualify you to take over the entire lane, belligerently denying that I am directly behind you. The speed limit is 25 or 35 and not 10 MPH. Graciously go single file and allow me to pass just as drivers do on a crowded highway out of courtesy. My grandmother understands this concept. When they are called on their arrogance they lash out as if they are the victim of civil rights disobedience. We all have somewhere to go! Let's be mindful of the person behind or in front of us. Our Uptown streets are narrow enough as they are. In winter they cannot handle dual lanes which is why we have snow emergencies. It has gotten as bad during the summer months with the additional traffic going in both directions. We both have a right to be there. Enough said. Sorry to be a hater!