Category: Spring

Between March 22nd and June 21st, most years.

Movie Review: Before We Go (2015) 4 Stars

Before We Go

Release (U.S.) September 2015

Watched (via Netflix streaming) April 2016

Rating: 3.5-4 stars

After a sunset walk along Angel Falls Trail with Terry, Lexy and Porthos, we whipped up some baked hot wings and sat down to find a movie to watch.  First stop Starz On Demand.  We looked at every movie offered and discounting the ones we had already seen, found not a single movie worth watching.  I asked Terry, “We’re paying how much per month for Starz?” Yeah, they got cancelled this morning, despite Dish trying to entice me with a $5/month for 6 months ‘deal.’  I switched to HBO for a special price this morning to see if we’ll get any better movies with the oldest and biggest premium channel in the business.

Next we both checked our Netflix streaming queues.  I also checked movies I’d bought on sale at Google Play and suggested we re-watch the re-make of True Grit.  We held that in reserve until we could find something we hadn’t seen.  Terry found some strange high school comedy/drama from the mid-80s called Lucas that we attempted to watch for 15 minutes but gave up.  I lived through the 80s once.  Once was enough.  I also checked Hoopla (streaming video from local libraries) and my PBS app but came up with nothing promising.  I went back to Netflix and reviewed the drama recommendations.  I don’t normally do dramas because they can be a downer and I really didn’t want to start my weekend off on a sad note.  But the reviews on Netflix for Before We Go were higher than the normal so I decided to take a chance once we ditched Lucas.

I’m glad I did NOT read any of the ‘critics’ reviews of this film as I quite enjoyed it.  Charming and sweet and not bad for the directorial debut of Chris Evans.  A very different view of New York from the eyes of two strangers not on a train.  I liked it because it was different and hopeful.

 

Timelapse Lunar Eclipse Over Downtown Kansas City by Tom Martinez

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkVItkDL4s4?rel=0]

Published by Tom Martinez, Historian of the Astronomical Solemnity of Kansas City, on Apr 7, 2015

The total phase was not seen from KC since totality occurred after moonset. Crystal clear skies allowed for a nice view of the last sliver of moon, however. Music is “Alive” by Jahzzar, http://betterwithmusic.com.

Restaurant Review: Zoe’s Kitchen (3.5 to 4 stars)

Our department administrative assistant left a post card invitation on my desk for a new restaurant opening on the Country Club Plaza.  So I took a short walk down the hill from the office to Zoe’s Kitchen, nestled next to Jack Stack.

Continue reading “Restaurant Review: Zoe’s Kitchen (3.5 to 4 stars)”

More Than a Quarter of Porthos

Yesterday marked the four-month anniversary of our adoption of Porthos.  We survived the winter with a rambunctious adolescent Rottweiler.  Our house and specifically the trash can fared slightly worse.  He’s gradually adapting to confinement in the backyard when we leave to watch a movie or go grocery shopping, but he does not like to be crated when the weather is bad.  It’s sad that Terry and I, empty nesters, have to ‘babysit’ our dog and can’t trust him to behave himself when we leave the house.

We took him to the dog park for the first time on Sunday the 22nd.  For this first visit, I kept him close to me with the leash at the ready.  If Porthos decides to take off after another dog or person, there’s no way I could catch him.  He’s very agile and very fast, with powerful almost instant acceleration.  I got him to run through the tube at the park a couple of times and pose for a photo:

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Once Spring arrived, I started walking each dog every other evening. Porthos is a joy to walk and I get good exercise trying to keep up with him. Lexy takes her time and needs to be coaxed to walk farther than a couple of blocks from home. I haven’t been brave enough to walk both of them at the same time. Maybe in a month or so.

Find an Island of Stars at Powell Obsevatory Tomorrow Night

A quick shout-out to everyone in the Kansas City metro area to come on down to the Powell Observatory tomorrow night.

Our scheduled program is entitled “Island of Stars” and the weather looks very promising.

I volunteer as part of Team 2 (one of several teams staffed by members of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City).  I’m looking forward to meeting many new people and introducing them to the many wonders of the night sky.

More Powell Observatory Information:

The observatory is staffed by ASKC volunteers and is open to the public every Saturday night from the beginning of May through the end of October. The Star Bright Saturday Night Programs begin at dusk and include program presentations on astronomy, tours of the observatory, and (if the skies are clear) viewing through the various telescopes of the moon, planets, stars, star clusters and more! A donation of $6 per adult and $4 per child is suggested to help support the observatory and allow it to continue operations open to the public.

Hope to see you tomorrow night and always keep looking up!