November 3, 2006
Got into a budget talk this morning. Not fun, but we worked through it. It’s been a week on our new Bisbee Budget and little problems arise (“I had Eric come out yesterday and fix the float on the ‘49. Why should that come out of Bob’s discretionary rather than the house account?”). Worked it out (it’s Bob’s “discretionary account.” Ha.)

Took the recycling up at ten to the Center of Cave Creek (that’s a designation not a locale) and checked the mail.

On the way up there, I fired up my iPod and listened to AC/DC’s “Down Payment Blues” and “Highway to Hell” and The Beach Boys' “Be True to Your School”, “Wendy”, “Do You Wanna Dance?” ,“Fun, Fun, Fun,” and by they way have you noticed that the fantasy of the bodacious blond in the T-Bird—Suzanne Somers in American Grafitti— has been replaced with real old people? Every time I see a T-Bird, old or new, when I look inside it’s Decrepit City. Yikes!. Still, those songs make me happy. The Beach Boys are to music what Norman Rockwell is to art. It may not be realistic, but it damn sure is an ideal, and one that makes me smile. So sue me.

Which reminds me of a Dilbert cartoon:

Why did you leave your last job?

They told me that I have incredibly poor judgement.

So I sued them.

Ad Advice
“Gather up a bunch of other people's print ads that you think are really strong. Lay 'em up in a page with a hole in it. Size your proposed ad and drop it into that hole, step back, and squint. Keep the page with a hole in it for future use. Update it now and then to be sure you're staying competitive.

“Brought to you by the Association for Good Ideas I Meant to Use But Never Did So Maybe It'll Work for You.”
—Emma Bull

Roshoman From A Different Angle
“Amigo, I hope they don't leave in the bit where you say that ROSHOMAN was filmed [at Old Tucson]. That movie, which is usually known as RASHOMAN (nope, you didn't make a mistake on the spelling, per se, both spellings can be correct), was lensed by Akira Kurosawa entirely in Japan (on sets and locations owned by Toho Studios). However, the US/Western remake, called THE OUTRAGE, starring Paul Newman was indeed shot at Old Tucson. I imagine that is where the mix-up came about.”
—Chris Casey, Maniac #946, Sierra Vista, AZ

Actually, I got the filmography out of “Film In Arizona” a booklet published recently that lists all of the films shot in Arizona going back to 1923. Under the 1950 listings they actually have, and I quote, “Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa, Producer Jingo Minovra, starring Toshiro Fiune, Machiko Kyo and Masayuki Mori. They they add: Arizona Locations: Old Tucson.”

Part of my reason for posting the film list was I knew my eagle-eyed readers would find any gaffs. Thanks Chris, to be safe, I’ll probably replace Rashoman with something like Ton of Grass Goes to Pot (1972), or Horse Opera (1992) a British film company.

Also Chris had an interesting post script on the Joey Dillon cup spinning performance last Friday in Tombstone:

“I read, with interest, your post where you said you had tried to get Michael Biehn involved in Joey Dillon's break down of the famous ‘cup spinning scene’ (from TOMBSTONE). Funny thing is: Within minutes of leaving the Bella Union, after Joey's performance, my friend Tom Betts (editor of the WESTERNS ALL'ITALIANA fanzine) met Michael Biehn at the Oriental Saloon. We told him about Joey's demonstration and he told us that he would have LOVED to have seen it...or even been a part of it. ‘Wouldn't it have been fun if I just walked in on that?’, he said with a wide smile and a sparkling, mischievous gleam in his eyes. I think it definitely would have been fun! Too bad it didn't go down. By the way, I was struck by how nice a guy Michael Biehn seems to be.”
—Chris

“Carry zeroes over until they add up,” I’m now listening to Beck on the trusty iPod. The ad Emma refers to (above) appeared again in the Republic this morning. Damn, we need to learn from this. I wonder if Sir Winston has anything to say about this?

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”
—Sir Winston Churchill