This 300 piece puzzle was much easier than “Fantastic”. It was completed in about an hour and all the more fun because I like map puzzles. Whereas “Fantastic” was one piece short, this map had an extra piece, so I guess the puzzle universe balanced itself.
I picked it up as a souvenir for Ms. B on our way out of Aruba…and let me tell you about that airport. You’re tricked into thinking that everything is cheap on the island until you’re on you way out of the country and need things at the airport. Bottles of soda are $2.50, slices of Sbarro are $5, magazines are two times the cover price, and paperbacks at the bookstore are usually around $20. Paperbacks!
Anyway, I found this puzzle much easier because I just looked for words to match up. Does that make me right brained or something? When I was sorting out the pieces between land and ocean, I noticed that most of the puzzle covered water. It seemed weird to me that we were working on a puzzle that framed a body of water but it was a fun exercise.
I’ve recently taken a liking to films produced in the 1970’s. Regardless of genre, I enjoy how the films capture a version of America that I only saw in family photo albums while growing up. Back then movies were smarter because of their subtlety and life looked grittier. A slick Hollywood produced movie meant the stars carried the films with their performances and CGI wasn’t a crutch.
An unintended consequence of watching these films is that I’m learning about America’s attitudes and views on recent history. The nation seemed to be settling down after the social revolutions of the 60’s but because of the Vietnam War, stagflation, and energy crisis, the mood is usually bleak and a darkness hovers in the air.
So I guess my long winded point of this post is that I’ll keep watching these moves and if the mood strikes, I’ll write about them here.
I’ll discuss Cabaret first. The Oscar winning film from 1972 revolves around a roaring 20’s-esque cabaret in Germany and features an intensely annoying Liza Minnelli and a staid Michael York. The two contemplate maturity while the rest of Germany gradually succumbs to Nazi rule.
As the movie progresses, Michael York’s character, Brian, becomes disgusted with Germany while the Liza’s self-absorbed Sally refuses to change a thing about herself and remains oblivious. Interspersed between their scenes are musical numbers used to reinforce certain points as well as scenes where Germans eventually accept that their ruling party has all the answers (whether by force or propaganda). In a scene I found interesting, a group of people are discussing what the ruling party plans to do and they argue with Brian on the premises that because the newspapers say there is a Jewish conspiracy, then it must be true. Hrm. That sounds eerily familiar.
As a whole the film was effective in balancing pizazz and romance against the more subtle message that Germans were more than willing to buy into the ruling party’s message. Sound of Music this was not. Despite the fact I won’t watch another Liza Minnelli film as long as I can help it, Cabaret was a very entertaining film.
Looking for updates? Here’s a look at a 10 day span:
3/14 : Leave for Aruba
3/15 : R&R in Aruba
3/16 : R&R in Aruba
3/17 : R&R in the AM/Fly Back from Aruba in the PM
3/18 : Work/Laundry/Band Practice
3/19 : Work/Explain Chic-a-go-go to strangers in the office kitchen/Band Performance
3/20 : Work/Band Practice/Catch Jason on his short visit
3/21 : Appear on Live local television/Work
3/22 : YMCA/Music Store/Band Performance
3/23 : Visit the parents
As documented in the past, I’m pretty good at falling asleep at the switch. My Queen gets captured and I’m left scratching my head. “How did I not see that?” or “Could that threat have been any less obvious?” are two common thoughts. Many players, including myself, get discouraged and fall into a defensive mindset where all they want to do is prolong the game as long as possible (some players abandon the game altogether).
When your opponent calls all the shots, you won’t last long. As the below example illustrates, however, you can dig out of the hole if the game is still young and you hold decent position.
Okay, so my Queen (Nxd2) was captured and I had to trade a bishop to get the offending knight (Nxd2 - Nxd4). Seems that the cards are stacked against me, eh? At this point, you have to just say “fuck it” and go on the attack in hopes that you can even the score without sustaining further damage.
While my opponent set up an attack from the left side of the board, I pounced on unprotected pieces (Nxd5 and Bxf5) and threw a wrench in Black’s plans by forcing moves out of Check (Be6+). This coerced Black (who once held a clear advantage) into playing defense against a pin (Rf7) and a fork (Nxc7) before making a questionable move (Nxe3). It also helped me that Black stubbornly held position with a bishop ripe for the picking (Bxc4).
The dust settled and I came away with a clear material and positional advantage. I guess the lesson here is that if you’re going to lose your queen, lose her early because you’ll have plenty of time to make up for the loss. Don’t panic. All it takes is persistence and patience to break even.
