http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/Rainmaker Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:46:43 GMT Reviews by Rainmaker http://www.viewpoints.com/Boston-Legal-review-1d3b2 My parents got me into Boston Legal, and my adult son also likes it. The show has outrageously over the top wierdness and social commentary, usually it's very good. Boston Legal aired a new episode last night, Tabloid Nation. The sub-plot in this episode shows Shirley (Candace Bergen) defending a Vietnam War Vetran for repeatedly, illegally killing seals for food. He had Post Traumatic Stress and bi-polar disorder. Shirley wants to use lack of mental competence in his defense. In one poignant moment the veteran objects to the defense, explaining that he is a war hero and asking not to made into a victim. Then we are distracted by something bizarre and funny (or not). One minute William Shatner is being more outrageous than in his notorious commercials, and the next you're really feeling for the plight of someone who's just trying to make it through the next day the best way he can. — — The title plot for this episode had to do with Tabloid TV and a murder that... Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:46:43 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Boston-Legal-review-1d3b2 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/NAPA-Auto-Parts-Store-Any-review-3eee1 I was helping a friend with a truck problem.  I went in the NAPA store in my business clothing with a dirty used starter in a gloved hand asking them to bench test it.  They were nice to me, none of the "girls don't know anything" treatment I have experienced upon occasion.  I also wanted a part that my friend suspected might be the problem.  It was a relay.  The price quoted on the Internet as the in store price was in the $7 range and the actual in store cost was $14, or double the quoted price.  I mentioned the difference and the salesman looked at his computer and told me the old part was $7, but that the part had been superseded by a new part number and the new part number was $14.  Sure sounded like gobblety gook garbage to me. I was more offended by the answer than I was by the price change.  Whether it was a simple matter of not keeping the Internet information up to date, or whether it was a matter of intentionally misinforming the... Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:10:20 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/NAPA-Auto-Parts-Store-Any-review-3eee1 Rainmaker 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Miss-Pettigrew-Lives-for-a-Day-review-7ce04 I thoroughly enjoyed this film set in pre WWII London. Frances McDormand plays Miss Pettigrew, a down on her luck nanny who ends up spending a day as a social secretary to Delysia Defosse (Amy Adams). She is instantly drawn into the budding actress' world and the fun begins.  It is a period piece done the old fashioned way, only also done the modern way. — — I hadn't noticed Amy Adams until recently. Now I've seen her star in three movies in as many months and I'm a fan. She has such poise, energy and talent. In this film she was able to draw me into a seemingly shallow character that I would normally not be interested in.  I was already pretty much a Frances McDormand fan. I can't remember seeing her do anything that dissapointed me.  Miss Pettigrew was a great character, one I really like. — — This movie was engaging and entertaining. The characters were interesting and the development was good.  One character was a musician, and the... Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:37:07 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Miss-Pettigrew-Lives-for-a-Day-review-7ce04 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Long-Distance-Cyclists-Handbook-review-f7093 This is a great reference well written by an expert. It covers charity rides, touring, randonnees, racing and marathon events with advice on equipment, gear, clothing, maintenance, training and every other thing you can think of. Many of the things he says are intuitive. It is clear that you would come up with them on your own given the time, but since he says them, you don't have to. Other things are not so intuitive. They are the things you learn from experience. — — Way back in high school I remember my English teacher explaining why we read books. She said that we read for experience. The experience is not as rich as actual living, but we cannot live everything, so our lives are made richer through reading about all of the things that we cannot experience for ourselves. Simon Doughty has experienced a great deal and for $16.95 I was able to become his... Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:46:39 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Long-Distance-Cyclists-Handbook-review-f7093 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Marietta-Diner-Marietta-GA-review-b5300 Just South of the "Big Chicken" on Highway 41 in Marietta, this large chrome diner with the neon sign is a long time favorite of mine for special occasions, for friends when they visit, or for no particular reason. 24-7 the food is wonderful and plentiful whether you want a full meal, a burger or a breakfast. Evening meals are served with a side of spanikopita, and the Greek omelet or the Greek salad with fresh tziki sauce stuffed grape leaves and giro meat are among my favorite meals. There is a lot of variety. The health nut chicken makes me pretty happy too. The menu is large and has more offerings than you could imagine, but each treat tastes like the house specialty. I like my favorites so well that it is hard for me to venture very far into the menu to try something different. So, I bring frends and we share! — — If you are looking for desert, the "hot donuts now" sign on the Krispy Kreme across the street will give you a cheep fix, but if you want something... Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:15:36 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Marietta-Diner-Marietta-GA-review-b5300 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Dr-Seuss-Horton-Hears-a-Who-2008-review-95c92 In the heat of the day, in the cool of a pool — He was splashing, enjoying the jungles great joys — When Horton the elephant heard a small noise — Everyone has a favorite Dr Seuss story. This is mine. As a parent I learned to appreciate some of the Seuss stories I missed as child, but this one remains at the top of my list. For several years I even quoted the opening lines in my email signature. I guess it is probably my favorite children's story of all time from any author and it is hard for me to single out a favorite in any category. So, this was the first children's cartoon for which I've made it to opening night since my kids were young. I was not disappointed. — Narrated by Charles Osgood, this film pays homage to the original story while putting in new things that relate it to contemporary times. It has everything. Good animation, humor for the kids and humor for the parents, a great message, in fact several of them and the young ones in the audience... Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:52:13 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Dr-Seuss-Horton-Hears-a-Who-2008-review-95c92 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Craft-Room-Yakushima-Island-Japan-review-350d3 Visiting this shop was one of the perks of renting a car. We liked the design of the roadside sign and did the "hey you wanna stop?" u-turn. This shop is located on the south side of the island and the sign is visible from the main perimeter road. — — The craftsmanship was wonderful and the whimsy was delightful. One of the included photos is of the wood-crafter who owns the shop. If you look at the animated photo of him, it looks as though we are communicating....and we are, but there was very little of a common language involved. He was able to tell us which woods were in each of the carvings and a few other things. — — The carving I liked best was not the one I came home with, both because it was fragile and because it was pricey. I had many other places to visit before heading home and if I stretched the budget here, there was no guarantee that I'd make it home with the goods. I chose a small forest angel in front of an evergreen on a beautiful... Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:22:58 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Craft-Room-Yakushima-Island-Japan-review-350d3 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Toyota-Rentals-Yakushima-Island-Japan-review-838c1 So, the first thing that I must tell you is that you can't imagine how far outside my comfort zone I had to move in order to rent a car in Japan. I have dyslexic tendencies that confuse me from time to time, but somewhere ingrained deeply in my psyche, I usually know that I belong on the right-hand side of the road and I distinctly remember wanting to dive for cover the first time I was on a tourist bus that went left on red instead of right on red. All that anxiety was before I even walked in the door at the rental company. I do force myself outside the comfort zone intentionally from time to time and when I went to AAA for the International Drivers' License, I was accepting that this might be one of those occasions. And, let me say this about the International License. I have heard some travelers advise that the international license is not needed. Don't listen to that advice if you are traveling to Japan. They expect you to have it, they expect you to have the right one and... Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:26:24 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Toyota-Rentals-Yakushima-Island-Japan-review-838c1 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Miyanoura-Youth-Hostel-Yakushima-Island-Japan-review-959e0 There were two youth hostels to choose from on Yakushima Island. The other was named simply, Yakushima Youth Hostel. It was located on the far side (south) of the island and it had the really wonderful "my favorite youth hostel anywhere" reviews. The island is relatively roundish and only about 25 miles across, it was tempting. However, the problem in staying there was in transportation and logistics. We had two overnights to devote to seeing things on the island and from looking at the Internet surf-able experiences of others visiting Yakushima, it seemed that we could easily spend a lot of time waiting for the right bus if we tried to work out a place to stay at the far end. We chose to rent a car, but they must be turned in fairly early the previous evening and we needed to be able to make the morning ferry off the island, so bus schedules still would have been an issue. It still looked like we needed to stay at Miyanoura Youth Hostel near the port where our ferry would dock. ... Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:46:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Miyanoura-Youth-Hostel-Yakushima-Island-Japan-review-959e0 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Spiderwick-Chronicles-review-25f70 There are many good things, good plot, good character development, good graphics, good moral. I enjoyed the film and was pleasantly suprised. It was pretty intense for children though. This is a Nickelodeon Production and as such, I expected to see a children's film, so my review is from the point of view of a parent. — — Spiderwick Chronicles did not feel so much like a children's film because of the realism and intensity. I don't remember profanity or any of the things that frequent so many films, but the situations these kids are facing are some that many will feel strongly about. The parents in the story have just split up and one of the children is blaming the Mom and expecting Dad to come back. This character is in the process of finding out that Dad moved in with another woman and that his parents are not going to get back together. He yells "I hate you " at his mother. The intensity of a real life nightmare is mirrored by a fantasy nightmare. At the same... Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:22:02 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Spiderwick-Chronicles-review-25f70 Rainmaker 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sakurajima-Island-Youth-Hostel-review-cf784 When you plan a trip abroad, it is really important to find a way get what you are expecting, what ever that may be. This can be an extra challenge if you are going it alone rather than taking a group tour with a familiar company. You must make more detailed plans with less information. My only youth hostel experience before this trip was an overnight in Venice with my daughter. There was a little apprehension when deciding to go to Japan and use youth hostels, but the bottom line was that I don't believe in living beyond my means and I wanted to make the trip, so I did it the way that fit. It is also very important to have a travel partner with the same or similar wants in key regards. My travel partner was in agreement on the budget as well as the eventual impressions of this abode.First, I'll share some things I learned about hostels in general, and then I'll move on to particulars. — Hostels — There are several youth hostel organizations with a lot of Internet... Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:08:45 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sakurajima-Island-Youth-Hostel-review-cf784 Rainmaker 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Yakusugi-Museum-Yakushima-Island-review-a89b1 The forests where Yakusugi Cedar grows were the inspiration for the anime' Mononoke and the modern cylindrical buildings of this museum pay tribute to the history of this beautifu forest. Many trees are a thousand or more of years old. Some named trees are thought to be much older including Jomon Sugi, a tree know in the Edo Period and thought to be 6000-7000 years old, older than the Bristlecone Pine, once thought to be the oldest living thing. — — The trees have seen periods of both harvest and preservation over the years. This type tree is particularly suited to make cedar shingles. The shingle is so finely cut that when it ages a little you would be certain that it is thick thatch rather than cedar shingle, but when you see a newer roof, if you look closely, you can tell that it is in fact hiragi, a special wood shingle. The museum has several dioramas and one is decicated to the production of hiragi. — — The trees were seen as sacred during the... Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:16:27 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Yakusugi-Museum-Yakushima-Island-review-a89b1 Rainmaker 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Robert-Glenn-Ketchum-review-e7170 I am one of those people who with a written list of things I want to do before I die. I take it out occasionally to revise, add new dreams and reminisce. Visiting Alaska has been high on my list since I saw a breath taking photograph of Mt McKinley several years ago. So, when I saw the Robert Glen Ketchum showing and lecture at the (Jimmy) Carter Center listed on the Nature Conservancy webpage, I quickly put it on my calendar. The Photographs — These photos are taken with medium format film showing amazing vistas and landscapes taken from the air and on the ground. Ketchum puts you in his shoes. From tundra showing bright fall colors to meandering rivers, each view is more beautiful than the last. Availble in coffee table books as well as prints, these photos make me wonder why I am spending my days in a place less beautiful and they reaffirm my desire to experience Alaska, but that is only one piece of how Ketchum uses his art. — — The Lecture — The... Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:48:40 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Robert-Glenn-Ketchum-review-e7170 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Golden-Pavilion-Kinkakuji-Temple-review-1dde0 This temple, dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, is a favorite place with tourists and locals in any season. It is on many tourist bureau posters and on most people's must see list. During my first visit to Japan, time got away from me and it was the place that I missed, so it was the place I wanted to be sure not to miss this time out. — — The temple you see here was rebuilt in 1955 after the 1950 fire set by a disgruntled monk. It is covered in gold leaf. The popularity of the spot is its one vice. Coming early is recommended at all temples, but this one especially. The rub is that it is a little harder to come to this one first.  It is in the middle of several effecient travel routes and a bit less convenient to go there first unless it is the single priority. — — The setting looks peaceful and deserted, but the crowds are everywhere that they are allowed to be and you will vie for a descent spot to take a photo. These photos were... Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:41:48 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Golden-Pavilion-Kinkakuji-Temple-review-1dde0 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Saga-International-Balloon-Festival-review-5f690 Saga International Balloon Festival is held in Saga, a port city on the north end of Kyushu, one of the 4 main islands of Japan where just over a hundred balloons from around the world fly. The festival has been going for more than 30 years. My review of another festival, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, was written from an insider's view because it is so easy and fun to become an insider at Albuquerque. All you need to do is volunteer to crew, watch the safety video and you're in. This festival has some similarities, but it would be much harder for an international visitor to actually participate as a crew person here. So, I'll start with what you would experience as an outsider first and then wrap up with a little of my own personal experience for those who are interested. — — Festivities begin with a parade down main street in the evening before opening day. Participants include boy and girl scouts, balloonists, and all kinds of other supporters. Street... Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:13:15 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Saga-International-Balloon-Festival-review-5f690 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Silver-Comet-Trail-review-fa4d1 The Silver Comet Trail is part of the Rails to Trail Program and it runs from the Alabama/Georgia border where it meets the Chief Ladiga Trail to Smyrna, Georgia in Cobb County. The plan is for it to continue to downtown Atlanta where it will meet the area covered by the Beltline project, a development program that will increase greenspaces as well as transportation, sidewalks and other planning features in the city. The Silver Comet is a multi-use trail where I have seen walkers, runners, cyclists, wheelchairs, arm peddle bikes, handicapped bikes, recumbent bikes and skaters, just about anything that is not motorized. — — I visit the Covered Bridge area, a historic district with a working one-lane historic covered bridge. An area affectionately referred to as Sminings.  A combination of the cities of Smyrna and Vinnings.  I am familiar with the area four miles on either side of the parking lot nearest the bridge. Walking to the west I cross a bridge over a... Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:34:34 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Silver-Comet-Trail-review-fa4d1 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Little-Debbie-Zebra-Cakes-review-a0831 I know what you must be thinking. How could Little Debbie anything be my best Valentines gift ever? Well, yes, at the right time beautiful roses and jewelry are pretty nice to recieve, and I've crewed for a few people when they were going out for that balloon ride engagement proposal. Valentines gifts can be pretty spectacular, but this occasion was not the right time for anything big. We had only just started dating. We were in that phase where we weren't even really ready to call it dating and I was nervous. We had plans on Valentine's Day, so what to do about it couldn't be avoided. What would he do? Too much would have scared me away and nothing....well, no girl likes nothing, even when you're not sure your dating yet. I couldn't come up with the right thing to do myself. Everything was either too much or a greeting card and I was stumped. — — He showed up with a six pack of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes wrapped in red glossy paper. I had mentioned before that... Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:19:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Little-Debbie-Zebra-Cakes-review-a0831 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Shiraito-Falls-Karuizawa-Nagano-Prefecture-review-dc081 The name means "white threads" and is shared by other waterfalls in Japan. This, however is the most unusual waterfall I have ever seen. My expectations were average. We were trying to decide what to do with our time and factoring in a desire to stay in the same hotel in Nagano City (home of the 1998 Winter Olympics) for a few days. We located a pair of waterfalls and decided to find them for a day hike. We had a flyer with instructions and went to the JR station in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. This is the home of many ski resorts, an active volcano and Mikasa Hotel, one of the first western style resort hotels built when the area was "discovered" as a resort. On the mountain beside the train station there was a ski slope with manufactured snow and we arrived on the first weekend that it was open. — — According to the flyer we recieved in Nagano City, we needed to take a non-JR train the rest of the way, so we bought the appropriate tickets and while we were... Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:47:06 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Shiraito-Falls-Karuizawa-Nagano-Prefecture-review-dc081 Rainmaker 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/www-LonelyPlanet-com-review-9e0d1 This is an interesting multifunctional web site. It offers the ability to order Lonely Planet merchandise, but it is a step above the standard website offering only merchandise. The site gives a little basic country information. This is more along the lines of what you would find in the CIA Fact Book,https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ only much less information, nothing too in depth and nothing that would allow you to get along without purchasing a guidebook. — — The site allows user participation. It has something called "blue lists", a somewhat blog like component where users can write in to tell about things they did or what they think about a particular aspect of traveling or a place. The lists are searchable, and they are also collected into a "best of" book that you can purchase. The site offers booking for things like transportation and accomodation. The flights are "powered" by Kayak. — — When I travel I do a bit of... Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:29:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/www-LonelyPlanet-com-review-9e0d1 Rainmaker 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Ushiku-Daibutsu-review-05611 When someone told me to see the "large buddah outside of Tokyo" I thought of the Kamakura Buddah (1252 AD, 13.35 m tall), a beautiful sitting Buddah in Kamukura (and at the time I had visited the second largest in the country) However, they were actually refering to the much newer standing Buddah in Ushiku, Ibaraki prefecture. This Amida Buddah completed in 1995 is 120 meters tall and by all accounts I can find, the tallest statue in the world and certified by the Guiness World Record Book as the tallest bronze buddah. It is difficult to get a real sense of exactly how tall it is, so the English language hand out shows a diagram of the size of the statue in comparison to the Statue of Liberty and the Nara Buddah (built in 1182 AD. At15 m tall Nara Buddah was previously the single Japanese buddah larger than Kamakura Buddah). The flier is a little confusing. While standing at the foot, the statue did not seem as much larger than the Statue of Liberty as the flier indicated, so I... Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:05:55 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Ushiku-Daibutsu-review-05611 Rainmaker 5