Irretrievable Feelings

     Thinking yesterday evening about a couple of emotions I felt back in the distant and misty lands of the past, both oddly associated with the musical genius of Mark Knopfler.

     The first was listening to the vinyl I bought myself of Dire Straits "making movies", particularly these three songs...

If memory serves, I saw the video for tunnel of love on MTV, and bought the album based on that. The sorcerous power of Knopfler over that Stratocaster on my silver-gray painted particle board speakers took me somewhere I don't recall reaching since, just the vaguest sensation of how it felt. It may well have been my first foray into air-guitar...

     In 1985, Dire Straits released "Brothers in Arms" and the wildly successful "Money for Nothing" video and song climbed the charts but the one that gave me the chills and sent me to the record store was the title track, most particularly it's inclusion on an episode of Miami Vice called "Out Where the Buses Don't Run". In the episode, the protagonists Crockett and Tubbs are being aided in hunting a near mythical drug kingpin by an ex-cop. The tune overlays the moment when they discover that the ex-cop actually murdered the suspect years before and suppressed the memory. It overlays finding the dealer's mummified corpse in a wall. The eerie power of that was the one thing that stuck with me from an otherwise mediocre (in my estimation) series.

   Years later, the song would be used in a different, even more haunting scene, in the second season finale of "the West Wing", "
Two Cathedrals".

     Music, the right music, has amazing power to transport us. Sometimes I envy my younger self, and wish I could go back and listen for the first time again. Most days I just wait for the next great song...

Fifty

     So today I turned fifty. I plan to celebrate by hunting toys tonight, and hopefully will find some. Other than that, not sure of what changes or new things I want for me this year. I think I want to straighten up and improve my friend relationships, since family ones are pretty much as good as they will be.

     Other than that, I'm probably the same person I was yesterday- I love my birds, I love my collectibles. the Sciatica thing caused me to lose a step or two, and I am working to pick them back up. Welcome to Mr Smith at 50, folks.
   

Rogue One: A DVD Media Story

     Let me say to start off with that I loved Rogue One in theater, and was very excited for it to come out on DVD. Let me say also that I think this story is at least as funny as it is frustrating.

A Short Time Ago, at a Walmart Near to my House...

     So Tuesday night, I bought my Rogue One DVD, at Walmart. Wednesday, I went to play it.

A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away...went by, kind of fast I thought. it ran through the rest of the sequence pre-title, except Saw Gerrera's speech to Jyn is cut short. And then there is a skip in the title sequence. And another skip. and another.

     Wednesday evening, I take the DVD back to a different Walmart for replacement. Thursday I go to play it. A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away...went by, kind of fast and I thought...no way. Same Skips, same spots. I call Walmart. I explain the situation, and someone from their electronics dept. tells me I can't even exchange it now. I call back, get the manager who directs me to the electronics dept. manager, and he tells me that I can trade it, approved by him.
   
     So Thursday evening, I swap my DVD(at Walmart Cust Svc. suggestion) for a Blu ray at no extra charge. Walmart went above and beyond on this, and I do not fault them at all. This was a ridiculous situation, made farcical by the second replacement. This is also my first ever Blu ray Disc.

     I try it in my Blu ray drive on my PC, it works, but VLC player doesn't play it. I find and try "Leawo player" and it starts playing beautifully...until it skips later into the movie than I had previously gotten...

    Sunday, I put in the code for the digital copy, and watched that. No Skips.

     So today, I am wondering if I am the only one to experience this, or if others can tell a similar tale of mishap. I google-searched, facebook searched, and I appear to be the single purchaser of multiple bad copies, tested in multiple DVD players. Also- when my niece borrows it, we will see if it just hates my players, or if it's bad. Or maybe it just hates my family...

Round Robin Challenge

Simple Question- Who is interested in continuing? some concerns have been expressed and I would like to know who is still in at this point?