Artsy and Fartsy

I moved to Austin sixteen years ago because of Jesse "Guitar" Taylor. Jesse passed away this week.

When people ask how I came to Austin, I usually explain how back then most engineering computing was done on expensive special purpose workstations. I, instead, was doing my work on low-cost PCs running Unix. I forsaw those applications moving from the engineering workstation to commodity PCs, and I had valuable expertise in that area. I saw an opportunity to start a consulting business, and Austin's strong technology sector made it seem like a good place to hang my shingle.

(Turns out I was half right about my technology forcast. Those applications did move to PCs, but they ran Windows, not Unix. PC-based Unix ended up a niche for vertical multi-user applications.)

That story is totally true, but it isn't the full picture.

Back around 1988, I was living in Dallas. I joined some friends for a weekend trip to Austin—my first time there. We visited Sixth Street our first night in town. My friend, a living room guitar player, took us out to hear some music.

My memory of that night was of hearing some of the most smoldering guitar playing I'd ever heard in my life. I learned later that the guitarist's name was Jesse Taylor.

It was such an amazing, electric night. Yet, the people around me treated it as just another night in town. I knew then that Austin was the place I needed to be. So when the opportunity arose, I packed my bags and headed here.

Much of what I loved so much about Austin back then is gone. I do miss Liberty Lunch.

But there is still a lot to like about this town. I'm glad I'm still here. And I've got Jesse Taylor to thank for that.

I wrote earlier about thinking of parting with my beloved record album collection. Here is an update: it's gone. All 156 of them.

I thought about picking out a few to keep, but talked myself out of it. I feared that if I started picking out cherished pieces, I'd start with just one or two but end up keeping a big stack of them. Also, the fact of the matter is that they sat in boxes for over a decade. Whatever I kept would probably sit hidden away in storage, never to be used. So I boxed them all up, ready to go.

My vinyl LPs—all 156 of them—were packed for over a decade. I unpacked them last year, when I moved in with my girlfriend. I had grand plans of setting up the turntable and ripping all my albums to digital files.

Ha! That was wishful thinking. I've come to realize that's just not going to happen.

Film, at its best, engages you or entertains you. Swordfish (2001), on the other hand, brings you nothing. Worse than nothing. When it was over I felt like it had sucked away a small part of my soul. It is an ugly and stupid movie.

I've been tearing through DVDs while convalescing from a cold. I was browsing the aisles at Encore Music and Video for something fun. (Note to person who has West Wing season five disc three checked out: return the damn disc please.) I came across Swordfish and thought I'd give it a watch. I remembered it as a thriller. It got extra bonus points by riffing on an old Marx Brothers joke. Plus Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry and Vinny Barbarino—hey, what could possibly go wrong?

I was looking over a list of movies released in 2005, and realized that I'd seen 21 of them, more than I'd thought. I guess that—in combination with a lingering cold that has knocked me out and made me worthless for any task that requires concentration—qualifies me to do a "Best of 2005" movies list.

So, here are my "Best of 2005" movie picks. Rather than choose an arbitrary number ("ten best"), I want to select those few movies that particularly delighted or interested me for some reason—sometimes unexpectedly so. I recommend them all.

As you may know, it's Holidailies time at IJTLCSH. I believe, for the most part, I've been able to meet my post-a-day quota with articles of note or interest—without resorting to filler.

Well, folks, that's about to change. Here is a grab bag of film-related topics that I've been thinking about.

.....

I saw the renowned movie Inherit the Wind the other night. Gawd, I hated it.