Go Outside and Play

I remember, when TV was still pretty new, some people were predicting that it would rot our minds. I don't know about the rest of our generation, but you and I seem to have turned out all right. Maybe that's because we didn't just sit in front of the TV all the time, on nice days we were encouraged to go outside and play. Our parents' generation grew up on the movies, but that was different. If you wanted to see a movie in those days you had to get up off the couch and go down to the theater. Nowadays kids can see anything they want to without ever leaving their own rooms, and that can't be good for them. Then there's all those portable devices, I'm not so sure about those things. I understand that people have been known to walk into light poles or out into traffic while engrossed in their smart phones. My daughter tells me that people don't argue as much as they used to. When a controversy arises, everybody just whips out their smart phones, starts punching buttons, and the issue is settled in a matter of minutes. Maybe that's why people's attention spans seem to be shorter nowadays. One thing I've noticed over the years is that there are a lot of adult people who don't seem to make a distinction between fantasy and reality, it's all the same to them. I don't know if that comes from watching too much TV because I can barely remember when TV wasn't a part of our lives. For all I know, people have always been like that.

Graham Greene played the part of Leonard, the shaman, on Northern Exposure. He also played Edgar Montrose, explosives expert, on the Red Green Show, a goofy slapstick role that was way different, but he handled it well. His main claim to fame was his role in the movie "Dances With Wolves", a movie I have never seen because I have been told it's really violent. That didn't stop me, though, from taking inspiration from it when I chose my internet name "Talks With Beagles." My hypothetical wife watches some of those chick flicks on the Hallmark Channel, and she reports seeing some of the old Northern Exposure crew from time to time, but not all of them.

I don't know about his other castles, but Mad King Ludwig built a theme palace dedicated to Wagner's operas that cost a fortune. Like you said, though, people visit it even unto this day, and it has more than paid for itself over the years. Wagner had a talent for wrangling money out of people, but it was never enough for the kind of productions he had in mind. He was an egotistical prick, but his fans tolerated it because they were so enthralled by his music. If he was alive today, he would be writing music for blockbuster movies like John Williams did, although Wagner would never be satisfied with other people's treatment of his work. He was known, on at least one occasion, to jump up on the stage in the middle of a concert and push the conductor aside while wrenching the baton from his hand. He then proceeded to demonstrate how the piece was supposed to be played.

I have read your emails about our friend Dan. I think you're right that he has to establish an account in order to post comments. I have forgotten how we did that, but I don't remember it as being difficult.