Pyramid Power

Some French guy has a new guess about how the pyramids were built. The headline says that they were built from the inside out. Has anyone suggested that they were built from the outside in? That would be cool. Imagine an enormous pyramid, built of massive stones, and completely hollow. Picture the chief builder and the chief architect, standing inside the vast enclosed space, showing the highest ceilings in the world to the pharaoh. "Good job," says the king. "Now just fill it all in."

And thus began the curse of the pharaoh.

Out Like a Lamb

Hey there oh best beloved reader. How was your month? I think mine was pretty good. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but I had some fun. My plan to lose weight was less than successful, but once again I'm glad that I didn't at least gain weight. I had to spend more money than I wanted to and for the first time in a while my net worth has decreased. [UPDATE: An unexpected turn of events changed that. March ends on a postive financial note] I can't say I'm too happy about that, but I'm optimistic about April.

I watched a bit of TV this month. My favorite shows were House, Family Guy, Kim Possible, Pardon the Interruption, Mythbusters, and Good Eats. How's that for a lineup? We also went back in time and watched a few episodes of the excellent Victory at Sea. And of course I got to watch an Indy car race.

On the downside, I wasn't able to find time to have any fun in the kitchen. On the upside I had one of the best dinners of my life. The best fillet mignon, best shrimp Clemenceau, and best asparagus I have ever had, all at one table. Very nice.

I had one long weekend, visited a few bookstores, went to two parties (unusual for me), and found time to get a haircut. I look in the mirror and see that I am grayer and spikier than ever.

I read three novels that I liked (I'll probably have more to say about that later) and bought a few more. The stack of "to be reads" never seems to get smaller.

Regular readers (oh my best beloved) know that I helped a friend pack up a truck and said goodbye to her when she left to live far away.

I drank Guinness, celebrated my cat's birthday, took a nice walk, and watched some birds. Not too bad.

Quote Like an Egyptian

From Glenn's Book of Proverbs:

I am alive today! Tomorrow is in God's hands.

I came across this one in a good book by John Romer called Ancient Lives. It seems to have been a popular saying among the people of Upper Egypt during the late New Kingdom period. I'm not sure what the fatalistic Thebans might have meant by it, but I like it. "I am alive today!" I am thankful for that blessing and will use it with joy. "Tomorrow is in God's hands." Another blessing; one that allows me to focus on the now and live in the moment, as the future is in stronger hands than mine. An old saw of three thousand years ago can become a daily prayer for joy and contentment. Funny thing, that.

I Am Sad

Sad I am. My friend just got into a truck and drove away. She is going to live somewhere else, many miles from Glenntopia. I hope that she finds more happiness there than she found here. I will miss her.

Marco Rocks!

I've been named Blogger of the week at Marco Andretti's website. Totally cool, and thanks. You better believe I'm rooting for the NYSE car this season. Go Marco Go!

Sanguinary Sophisticates

Allow me to introduce some friends of mine. They are dead, but restless. Their corpses harbour no breath, no beating heart, no spark of life. Contravening the laws of God and nature, they lift themselves from the grave, walking the earth in search of victims. Their flesh is mouldering, they stink of corruption, they are filth itself. Their souls are damned and their bodies are mere tools of the Devil. Under cover of darkness they slink from the necropolis back to the land of the living, there to prey upon some unsuspecting person, possibly someone that they may have loved in life. They tear at flesh, drinking blood, destroying life and spreading misery. What do I call these repugnant beings of pure evil? The Aristocrats!

That doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm talking about vampires, of course. The vampires of legend and folklore were many and various. Some were agents of Satan, others shambling ghouls. None of them were witty conversationalists, snappy dressers, or socially notable. Not the sort of people who got invited to the better parties, and certainly not titled nobility.

So why is it that our most popular conception of the vampire is a well groomed gentleman in tie and tales? Why are they now counts, lords, and marquis?

John Polidori, that's why.

If you like reading good stuff you probably know the story of the "Frankenstein Summer" of 1816. It was the so-called "Year Without a Summer," when northern Europe and the northeastern part of the American continent experienced a remarkably cold, wet, and overcast season. A group of bright young things from England were hanging around in Switzerland. Percy Shelley and his girlfriend Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (soon to be better known as Mary Shelley) spend time reading ghost stories with Lord Byron and his personal physician, John Polidori. Byron suggests that they all have a hand at writing some spooky stuff. The two famous writers don't come up with much. Mary, of course, writes the beginnings of a really great novel. Polidori writes a short story called "The Vampyre."

"The Vampyre" is not the first vampire story. But it is the first modern vampire story. The bloodsucker, Lord Ruthven, is not a shambling atrocity, skulking in shadows. He is an English lord, dark, brooding, mysterious, and sexy. Women are drawn to him. The more he is seen to withdraw, the more they want him. He is a romantic figure. He is, in short, Byron.

There seems little doubt that Polidori was inspired by his own relationship with the "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" poet. The protagonist Aubrey is Polidori himself, horrified by the excesses of his friend but bound by social convention not to denounce him.

Separating story from writer for a moment, one might want to ask why a vampire would choose to move in such circles. If the passion is simply bloodlust then it could just as easily be slaked in the old fashioned way, preying on the weak and isolated, stalking travellers through the forest, that sort of thing. Why seduce? Why entangle? Why seek to destroy honor and reputation as well as lives?

That's where we see the real genius of Polidori. He knows that the vampire isn't simply an animal. It is an agent of evil. As such it has chosen high society as its forest. It has chosen people who value position, honor, and reputation and uses those things as weapons. The vampire seeks to destroy souls as well as lives, to sow despair as well as blood.

***Spoiler Alert! *** There are some spoilers for "The Vampyre" below***

Ruthven tricks Aubrey into making a vow of silence. Later just a simple word could save the life and (more importantly) the honor of his sister. But he is unable to speak. The first time I read this I thought it silly. What sort of man would value his word above human life. Then the realization struck me. This was another time and another people. The past truly is a different country. These people, these upper class English, were living by rules that were as real to them as the furniture in their homes. Ruthven used that reality. He hid behind and stalked from it. He used the restrictive rules of society to trap his prey. He turned social convention against itself and used it to destroy. Aubrey is driven mad by the internal conflict, no doubt as Ruthven had planned.

*** This is the end of the spoilers. No more spoilers below***

"The Vampyre" was a hit. Its influence on Bram Stoker is obvious. He created his own "gentleman" vampire who stalked polite society. Eventually the blood-soaked idiot made way for the titled, sophisticated, man-about-town. The vampire was forever ennobled, for better or worse, as Polidori imagined him. And for that I'm not sure we should thank him. His Byron-inspired bloodsucker launched a thousand caped and coiffed imitators; most of them crud.

I guess I can't hold that against him. How was he to know that his slightly overwrought, pleasantly creepy little social satire would create a genre that cannot be killed?

Vroom

The Indy Racing League began its 12th season tonight under the lights at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. If you are like me you were glued to your TV all night, or at least until the last twenty minutes or so when Dan Wheldon got himself so far ahead that the race was pretty much over.

And you probably have no idea what I'm going on about, and care even less.

I know. Indy car racing just isn't all that popular anymore. NASCAR is the big thing among race fans nowadays, and it seems the IRL is just along for the ride.

The big difference between NASCAR and the IRL is that NASCAR races modified stock cars while Indy cars are purpose built race cars. They are really fast. The speeds are such that tiny little things are usually the difference between winning, losing, and bouncing off a wall. A thousand things are going on everywhere on the track, every minute of the race. Some people find it to be dull. They say they can't understand why people watch cars, on a track, going in circles. That's about as perceptive as saying that drama is dull because it is just people, on a stage, talking to each other.

The IRL is auto racing for smart people. It requires a lot of attention and rewards that attention with great competition.

IRL racing is a team sport. Good teams can hire better drivers and better crews. Understanding what all those people supporting the driver do is a big part of enjoying the race. Teammates often work together on the track to improve their position, but cooperation only goes so far. When it gets close to the finish drivers tend to loose their team spirit. Allow me to introduce the major teams and some of the key players.

A.J. Foyt Enterprises: The legendary A.J. Foyt is celebrating his 50th year in Indy Racing this season. His team had a good deal of success early on in this rather young league, but as the overall level of competition has improved Foyt has become something of an also-ran. This year he is fielding one driver, Darren Manning, and I don't see much chance of improvement. He's not a bad driver, I just don't think he's on a strong team.

Andretti Green Racing: In the past AGR was dominant, but last year it was all Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi. I look for them to improve a lot this year. They are sending out four drivers. Tony Kanaan, a Brazilian, is one of my favorites. He's a funny guy, smart, nice, and a very good driver. He's known to be very dangerous in restarts (when cars go from controlled, speed-restricted laps back to full-speed racing) where he often finds a way to get the drop on other drivers, passing several in moments. Dario Franchitti is another favorite. I still haven't gotten used to hearing him talk. His name is Italian. He looks Italian. He should sound Italian, but his accent is all Scottish. It's like watching Mario Andretti's lips move but hearing Jackie Stewart's voice. Oh, and Dario is married to Ashley Judd, which I imagine is a good thing. The third Andretti driver is an Andretti. Marco Andretti is last year's Rookie of the Year. At 19 he came within an eyeblink of winning the Indy 500 and later picked up his first win during that season, a remarkable achievement. It is going to be a lot of fun watching this young man in the future. The newest member of the team is (be still my beating heart) Danica Patrick. Oh my ears and whiskers but she is . . . um . . . really rather attractive. Yes. Now then, a couple of years ago she was the Rookie of the Year. A lot of people who didn't know any better expected her to win a race in her first year in the IRL. Her second year in the League was something of a disappointment. A lot of people who don't follow Indy racing announced that she had been overrated. Poppycock. This, as I've just said, is a team sport. Without a strong team no driver can do well. Rahal Letterman, her old team, had about as bad a year as you can have (more about them later). They made some bad decisions, had some very bad luck, and never really had a chance. This year she is surrounded by a proven team. I really expect her to win her first race this year, and I'm really looking forward to her shutting up all her critics.

Andretti Green has one more driver -- team owner Michael Andretti, Mario's son, Marco's father. He will continue his lifelong quest to win the Indy 500 this year. Like last year, it will be his only race.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: This team has two drivers. Buddy Rice is a good driver who had a bad season last year with Rahal Letterman. I'd love to see him get back to his old winning ways, but I'm not sure D&R is the team to get him there. Sarah Fisher is the other woman who will likely be in all the races this year. The media tries to create a story about a competition between the two women, but it's just hype. Fisher had some success a few years ago in the league and on paper looks more accomplished than Danica, but the level of competition is higher today than it was when Sarah was doing well. I think she'll probably finish in the mid-pack all year.

Panther Racing: Not a great team but they do have a really good driver. Brazillian Vitor Meira is the best driver on a not-best team. I would love to see him pick up his first win. Their other driver is Kosuke Matsuura, a Japanese guy who is a pretty good driver, but not a threat to win.

Rahal Letterman: These guys had the worst year ever. The first major mistake came months before the season started. While every other team announced that they were going to be using one company to build their chassis, RL chose to stick with another. This put then at a serious disadvantage and they had to switch in mid-season. It took several races to get the new cars working the way they wanted them. But that was a minor blow compared to the loss suffered just prior to the start of the 2006 season. Rookie driver Paul Dana died in a crash during a practice session.

Maybe it was that, maybe the chassis thing, maybe the fact that team owner Bobby Rahal missed a lot of races watching his son Graham race in another league, but the team had bad luck and made mistakes all year. Buddy Rice had a bunch of mechanical failures. Late in the season the team allowed Danica to run out of gas on the track. It was not pretty.

This year they are fielding two cars. Jeff Simmons, who replaced Paul Dana last year, is the only driver to stay with the team. I don't really expect much from him, but his new teammate Scott Sharp could bring some badly needed success to RL.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing: This is one of the two teams that dominated the IRL last year and looks to continue its winning ways with Englishman Dan Wheldon. Wheldon is (if you'll pardon the pun) a driven man. He didn't do too badly last year, but he didn't dominate the League, and nothing else will satisfy. Team owner Chip Ganassi is a very competitive guy and will find a way to give his driver every tool he needs. Ganassi is also fielding Scott Dixon. Dixon's a good driver but he is not a superstar like Wheldon.

Team Penske: Roger Penske had a very, very good year last season. A genius strategist, Penske guided his main man Sam Hornish Jr to victory in the Indy 500 and to a series championship. Sam is Mr. America, a personable small-town guy. He is also a wizard on an oval track, which is why he has three IRL championships. They say he has been working hard to improve his chances at road courses, which could make him even tougher to beat this year. His teammate Helio Castroneves is terrific on ovals and is something of a wizard himself on road courses. A fun-loving, enthusiastic guy with an infectious smile, Helio is called "Spiderman." When he wins (which he does quite a bit) he likes to spin to a stop on his victory lap, jump out out of the car, and climb the track fence -- much to the delight of fans.

Vision Racing: This team is owned by Tony George, a controversial figure in the sport, who founded the IRL and owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is fielding three drivers, Ed Carpenter, A.J. Foyt IV, and Tomas Scheckter. South African Scheckter, son of the Formula 1 (and occasional Indy car) driver Jody Scheckter, is the best driver on the team, but I'd be really surprised to see him finish a race in the top three this year.

There you have it -- my highly subjective take on the major teams and players in the IRL this year. I've only scratched the surface, and very lightly at that. Welcome then, to the race that never ends, a spectacle and a story that never slows down and never fails to fascinate. The drama continues April 1 on the streets of St. Petersburg.

A Sticky Truth

Sure, we all thought global warming was a pretty good idea. But now it is getting serious. New England's production of maple syrup is under threat.

Ta-Da!

You know what would be cool? If they open the box and . . . he's gone!

Be Aware -- Shop Fair

Check out this well written article about fair trade shopping in Columbia, SC. Good stuff.

Pocket Owl

This is the long-whiskered owlet, the "holy grail" of South American ornithology. It was discovered in 1976 and until last month only ever seen after being caught in nets. Imagine checking that one off your life-list.

Now then, does anyone have a recent photo of the ivory-billed woodpecker? Send it in, I'd be happy to post it here for you.

Wicked Smaht

Most people who live in Brookline are pretty bright. Just not this guy.You know you're dealing with a brainiac when the first line of the article is:

A 23-year-old man allegedly took a handgun last week and stole $200 from a Route 9 Dunkin’ Donuts he reportedly visits on a daily basis.

Master criminal.

Important -- Check Your Pet's Pantry

In the unlikely event you read my blog before the news, here is some important information for owners of cats or dogs. A long list of deadly pet food has just been recalled. These are wet foods only, "cuts and gravy" style, in cans or pouches. It is mostly store brands that are on the list; the only nationally know names are Procter & Gamble's Iams and Eukanuba and Colgate-Palmolive's Science Diet. So far ten pets are known to have died and an unknown number have suffered kidney failure. Here is a list of cat food brands that have been recalled:

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets; Authority; Best Choice; Companion; Compliments; Demoulas Market Basket; Eukanuba; Fine Feline Cat; Food Lion; Foodtown; Giant Companion; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Iams; Laura Lynn; Li'l Red; Loving Meals; Meijer's Main Choice; Nutriplan; Nutro Max Gourmet Classics; Nutro Natural Choice; Paws; Pet Pride; Presidents Choice; Price Chopper; Priority; Save-A-Lot; Schnucks; Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Can; Sophistacat; Special Kitty; Springfield Pride; Sprout; Total Pet; Wegmans; Western Family; White Rose; Winn Dixie.

For an updated list go to the manufacturer's website. There you can click on the brand name and see exactly which lots are dangerous. Dog owners can get a complete list right here.

Lovely Day For Guinness

For a while now I've been trying to use mere words to describe the experience of drinking Guinness. I'll keep at it, but in the meantime this old ad comes close.

Specter of the Spectre of the Gun

The other day we moseyed on down to the Glenntopian Nickelodeon to take in a western movie show. We saw Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, a mighty fine movie from 1957. Burt Lancaster played Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas (yeah, this is my third straight review of a Kirk Douglas movie -- you wanna make something of it?) was Doc Holliday in this treatment of their famous friendship and the legendary shoot-out. Hollywood, as usual, took a lot of liberties with history, but who cares? We really just want to see a good story, interesting characters, and a nice bit of action -- and that's what we get. Lancaster's Wyatt Earp is a bit stiff, but he had a tough row to hoe. The script (and, I think, the public at the time) wanted a lawman who was strong and virtuous; a symbol of order and decency. He also had to play against his pal Kirk Douglas, who got the better part. Doc Holliday is an enigmatic figure, hero and criminal, dying and dangerous, a brilliant rogue with a sense of honor. Kirk practically steals the movie.

There were a couple of things I wasn't crazy about. The Rhonda Fleming character was inserted into the story to create an unnecessary romantic subplot for Lancaster. I'll forgive it because Fleming was so good in the part.

And then there's Frankie Laine. Don't get me wrong, Laine is a great singer and by all accounts a heck of a guy. But every time someone rides a horse you also get Frankie singing about Boot Hill. I guess the idea is to give the movie something of a mythic feel -- a story that will continue to be retold and sung about for years. Still, after a while it began to get funny.

One thing I enjoyed was seeing a terrific supporting cast, including a lot of people that would make their names in later flicks. Look for small parts filled by the likes of Jack Elam, Earl Holliman, Dennis Hopper, Martin Milner as Jimmy Earp, and DeForest Kelley as Morgan Earp, making his first trip to the O.K. Corral. Kelley gets to try again, this time on the Clanton side, in an episode of Star Trek.

What makes the movie (aside from it looking good and all the rip-snortin' action) is the characters and some of their complicated relationships. Doc and Wyatt are an interesting set of friends. Doc and his woman Kate have something of a complicated relationship. In fact, Doc and anybody make an interesting combination. I told you Douglas just about steals the movie.

Pointless Star Trek connections:
*The DeForest Kelley thing, previously cited.
*Whit Bissell plays the head of the Citizens Council. He would later play the head of a space station in "The Trouble With Tribbles."
*Both shows feature cool guys named Kirk.
*Jack Elam performs a mind-meld on Dennis Hopper (okay, I made that one up).

Birds, Bells, and Baby

It's a nice day, if a bit cloudy, so I took some time this morning for a walk down to the neighborhood pond. I can report that spring, while still not here, is certainly close. The pond is mostly iced over with a thin sheet. The north end is clear of ice and populated with a flock of mallard ducks. I have a great fondness for mallards. When I was a boy I did a report for science class on them. I would sit by the old mill pond behind the library for hours, getting to know my new friends. I loved their dramatic water landings, their clumsy waddling, their absurd dabbling (head down, duck-butt straight up), and their quiet, graceful, glide across the water. I loved the peace that came of watching them and the raucousness when they were honking and quacking at each other. The plumage on the males took my breath away. Iridescent purples and greens created by light playing along prismatic feathers; a mallard's head became a light-show to a fascinated child. Common as they are I still get excited when I see them.

The ducks where flitting back and forth from pond to field, the field being dominated by a few Canada geese. An old fellow was walking with a small child through the park, showing him the big birds. Grandpa wisely kept a firm grip on junior's mitten while introducing him to his new friends. Some of those geese where bigger than the kid.

After spending some time with my old friends I strolled up over a small hill and into a stand of trees. I could still hear the ducks, who were particularly chatty. Above and around I could hear the occasional gull, and in the trees all around were songbirds, mostly keeping themselves out of sight. I'm sure a good birdwatcher could identify a few species just by song and brief glimpse of a fast flying form, but not me. Still a bad birdwatcher after all these years, at least I'm having fun.

As I strolled along, a nearby church rang its bells, telling me that it was noon and time to head home for lunch. After a count of twelve the bells sounded a nice little tune, extolling the glory of God and celebrating his creations. As the tintinnabulations faded and the various birdsongs and calls continued, I couldn't help but think that we bellringers are but late celebrants to this gathering, and that the music may well continue long after we have moved on.

What is 10 in Cat Years?

I'd like to wish my cat Ginger-Pickle a happy 10th birthday, but she doesn't seem to care very much. We gave her extra tuna today. She was pleased about that, but still hasn't gotten into the festive mood. I tried to explain the importance of the day, but I don't think she was listening. She just rested on a cushion, soaking up sun.


Perhaps she's figured it out after all.

Skywalker

The MBTA finally opened the Wellington Skywalk. Sounds cool? Nah. It's just a pedestrian bridge over the train yard so folks can get from the station to the parking garage without having to wait for a bus or walk along a busy highway. The Skywalk replaces the old tram. The tram was designed to carry far fewer people than would ever need to use it during rush hour. It was also designed to stop working in windy, cold, or wet weather. It wasn't particularly popular with commuters.

Last year they junked the tram and began building a walkway along the old supports. I used it yesterday for the first time. It looks pretty good and it does the job, but it sounds nasty. The floor is made up of lots of little metal plates that rattled and banged as I walked. Wellington isn't all that busy on weekends so I pretty much had the place to myself, but I wondered how noisy it would be with a full crowd. Maybe not the best design, but it is in the best tradition of T construction.

Pigeon Nest

Do you remember that "Ask Dr. Science" joke about why you never see baby pigeons? No? Well I do, and it was pretty funny. Anyway, I figure most people have never seen a Rock Pigeon nest, so here is a picture of one that I took yesterday.
It's not a very good picture, but I'll try to get some better ones later on.

Frost on the Pumpkin

Just a little cold this morning. The temperature was in the single digits and the wind was blowing hard. It blew especially hard across the train platform where I was waiting this morning. The train pulled in after about ten minutes; I took my seat and thought warm thoughts. As I usually do I pulled a book out of my bag, then took my glasses off (I'm myopic) and began to perch them on my head -- but I couldn't. My hair had frozen solid. As I slipped my specs down my nose so I could read over their top I resolved to allow more time between showering and leaving on cold days. This lesson to be forgotten well before the next cold day.

Quote of the Day

From Glenn's Book of Proverbs:

"Time is the school in which we learn, Time is the fire in which we burn." -- Delmore Schwartz

Just now I'm focusing on the latter half of the quote. I haven't posted to this blog in two days and I haven't done any serious writing for five days. Feel the burn.

I Am Not a Loser

I just did my official weigh-in. Total weight lost in the last month is . . . just a sec here . . . doing the math . . . double checking . . . where'd I leave that calculator . . . and, total: zero pounds. Haven't lost a thing.

That's not exactly according to plan, but I've decided to look on the bright side. I haven't lost. The opposite of lose is win. Ergo, I am a winner.

A big fat winner. Good for me.

Odiiiinnnn!!!

The Glenntopian Nickelodeon is finally showed that Viking movie I've been looking forward to. Bearing the remarkably unoriginal yet strangely appropriate title The Vikings it stars Kirk Douglas as Einar, a (wait for it) Viking. Kirk is his usual virile, dimpled self. Here he crosses swords with Tony Curtis, kidnaps Janet Leigh, and has a generally great time with Ernest Borgnine. This being a 1950s action flick I was expecting helmets with horns, a comic-book plot, and southern California standing in for Norway. What I got was a serious attempt to look as historically accurate as possible, shot in and around the fjords, and a comic-book plot. It all worked for me.

The filmmakers cracked their history books and built three Viking dragon ships, sailing and rowing them in Norway. Everything looked right, the shields, the armour, the settlement, it all looked great. The plot . . . ah, who cares? It's just an excuse for the action -- and there's lots of action. Flashing swords, pitched battles, pillaging, raping, looting, the whole Viking thing. Borgnine almost steals the film as Ragnar, the Viking chief. Here's a guy who enjoys every minute of his life. He presides over a particularly merry band, who, when not raiding the English, enjoy carousing in their great hall and drinking from horns that are frequently replenished by blond women who just dip them into a vast vat of suds. As I watched this scene of happy, hairy drunks I came to realize -- Norway must be heaven.

But then there's England, and a castle to be attacked. This is where the historical accuracy breaks down. My beloved Royal Historian pointed out that a castle of that design would have been impossible for the time, and that the shields and chainmail the English were wearing were equally anachronistic. Oh well, what's half a millennium between friends? It doesn't make the fight scenes any less exciting.

11 reasons you want to be a Viking in this movie:

*You don't have to waste a lot of time shaving.

*All the beer you can pillage.

*You get to kidnap women who look like Janet Leigh. Yow.

*Hailing. If you see your pal Bob you don't just say, hi Bob, you shout Hail Bob! That's cool.

*When you come home from work they blow a humongous horn and everyone drops what they're doing to cheer you. Nowadays the cat doesn't even get off the couch when I come home.

*You get to shout "Odin!" a lot.

*Norway is beautiful.

*Dragon ships are cool. Yeah, you have to do a lot of rowing, but it still beats paying for a membership at a gym.

*Hanging around with Ragnar. That guy throws a great party.

*Cool theme music.

*Running the oars. Watch for the scene where Kirk Douglas runs the oars. What an athlete. Kirk rocks.

Last line: This flick is a lot of fun. I swear this by the sacred blood of Odin!

Happy St. David's Day!

Best wishes to all who have the good fortune to be Welsh or of Welsh descent! I hope you're wearing your leak today.