How Clint Eastwood Became a New Man

It is interesting how hard physical labor can be so relaxing.  A friend of mine left his corp job a couple uyears back so he could work with his hands and has never been happier.  There is something about the exhaustion that comes from a long day of work that is deeply satisfying.

Have a restful weekend.  

I love Clint. Even when he was fascist. But in his later movies you can really see how he has evolved. Letters from Iwo Jima was especially moving.

Clint Eastwood,

Yep, he's talented, and seems too have picked up a lifetime of experiences and gained much wisdom from them ....... like I hope most of us do.  His evolution does show up in his work.

Speaking of great work, don't miss going back to yesterday's late posting by Olivia of Near Miss#8.  It's a good one!

Welcome Kendal,

I think hard work is great as long as it is a choice. Once you do it for forty years, though, it  may get a little old.

For those of you who thought I was asking for trouble talking about having the convertible top down the other day, I got it. We have had rain for nearly 20 hours, with snow promised in the morning. Temperatures are mild ( unless you are out in it) but are scheduled to drop after dark. Unless another butterfly does something influential, I guess.

Thanks PeterLake, I would have missed Olivia's most recent.

wt

Eve,

Did you get the snow you so wished for?  If you did, enjoy it ; but be careful out there 'cos drivers get a little craaaaaazy if they're not used to it.

WT,

My pleasure.  

I've asked the squirrel that lives in my garage to "break wind in a most convincing manner" to hopefully improve your weather...... but who knows what havoc that'll cause.

Kendall,

Well met indeed.

I like what I read about him. Of course, I don't know him at all, but I like what I read.

My favorite part of the article: "He pauses, just as it is getting interesting. 'But I don't write about myself and I try not to think too much about myself either.'"

I also loved the interview in The Guardian a while back, responding to Spike Lee's criticism of Iwo Jima.

"A guy like him should shut his face." http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/jun/06/1

Even if I don't wholly agree with him, (which I do in this instance), I like that he speaks his mind.

I also found it interesting that there were several physical descriptions of him throughout the Times article, that made him sound like a real, saddle-worn cowboy, even though he's spent his career in films. The writer is subtly arguing his point that Clint IS those characters, even while Eastwood's own words belie that argument.

One last thing, regarding ethics in journalism, I have a fundamental problem with these sorts of 'tricks':

"Art, as we know, is there to re-order life until it makes sense; in his case there was much to re-order. But that's just my theory. As I now accept, The Man with No Name remains The Man with No Theory."

I neat summary for two very complicated subjects: The meaning of art, and Eastwood.

Yet the author somehow defines both in two sentences, sandwiching his loophole:
"But that's just my theory." Bleck.

Have ya'll noticed how hard I am on these journalists?!

Kendall,

Very glad you dropped in, sir. Good to see you over here!

I find it fascinating that humans are so interested in myths about distant figures they'll probably never meet.... the celebrity phenomenon!  Are our lives really incredibly plodding and boring, or is it that we simply don't know the people in our daily lives as well as we think we do?

Doc-I find it STRANGE that media and many people are so interested in celebrities. I haven't time for it. As you say, I'll never meet them, but they are useful for bringing characters to life if I want to see the story as well as read it. Beyond that, who cares? I'm sure some of them are wonderfully interesting to talk with, and so are my friends. So are we all, actually. Even the least of us have our wee stories, and life is such a kaleidoscope that I find almost everyone I meet to be fascinating.

Olivia,

THANKS for the latest Near Miss. And I have to agree with you and Doc. It has often amused me to hear people talking about celebrities or Soap Opera characters either one ( is there any real difference?), as if they lived down the block. The few times I have known or known of famous people in some meaningful way, their predominant characteristics and emotions were fairly mundane and darned close to universal- you know: wistful over bad decisions, worried about their children, unsure about the weather. Not much titanic there.

And speaking of ice, we are gearing up for it. Georgia and Neptune can verify, there is probably not a loaf of bread or a quart of milk, or a 2 pack of D cell batteries available from Annapolis down through Mobile.  That is just how it is in these parts. Might as well go plug in anything that can be charged now. See ya after it hits, I guess.

William-I've heard that you're in line for a storm. I'll worry for you-I'm a pro. I hope the power stays ON. We had rain and snow last night, but it's melting today. Maybe yours won't be so bad...

And you're welcome. Glad if you like my wee stories...

Yeh, calling for snow tonight here on the beach.  My boys are glued to the window.

That is so not Clint Eastwood on that horse...

sorry to quit, but recent ID theft leads me to close all non-essential connections--ive no reason to think it came thru this list, & im just closing all the doors i can. warmly,bd

All, getting snow or not, Clint is a great actor and director.  Its good to see him get his due, but as with all art it is in the eyes of the beholder.  Makes me want to go out and see his recent movies as I loved his early ones. 

Olivia, another wonderful chapter.  Willie, Georgia and Capt Neptune, good luck in the storm, keep the cars and yourself safe.  Fear not snow, it is wonderous stuff, we had more again this morning but it burned off.  Neptune, get those boys skis.

Just my minor observation here....we don't seem to mind talking about and admiring 'great' journalists such as HL Mencken, or great minds like Darwin but we DO seem to take issue with great American film 'celebrities.' Weren't MEncken and Darwin celebrities in their day?  Or shortly thereafter? 

Just because he's a famous film star/whatever you want to call him doesn't mean his opinion is any less important that the former two I mentioned.  They are all just guys...like the rest of us.  Clearly, they offer something to society that we enjoy/like/need/etc. 

It may seem hard to believe, but with temps in the 60s and a clear, cloudless sky here in Houston, I envy ya'all in "the snow belt". 

I remember how tired I used to be of the stuff by March, but then there was a magic Christmas Eve back in the 1960s (in New Jersey) when a snow storm came through during the day and tapered off after dark.  (It was that light, fluffy snow; not the leaden semi-mush kind.) At about 9 p.m. I poked my head out our front door, and up and down the street I could hear the unmistakable scrutchhhh-scrutchhhh of snow shovels on concrete sidewalks.... and.... from a block away, the sound of Christmas carols softly sliding through the air.... It was a magic night.

And in the midst of summer on 'the shore' with temperatures in the low 80s (and 70 at night), think of us along the Gulf Coast.... temperatures in the day bumping 100 and humidity to match.... nights dipping down to 85 and everything so damp that walking to the mailbox makes one sweat.  It's then that I remember sitting out on the back porch watching the lightning bugs -- and because it felt good, not to prove I could 'take it'.

All you folks out east in the snow...... don't forget to keep your cars between the ditches.  Hope you are all warm and safe.

Shandonista,

Couldn't agree more. Though I remind myself that I do not "know" them and question the information that trickles down the mountain, or even my right to have access to their particulars, I find it inspiring to read about people who've climbed high, on any mountain. Look at the inventor of the Snuggie. I want THAT story. C'mon!

I think Shandonista makes a good point. We don't mind admiring celebrities when they're no longer around. Fifty years from now, Clint, I guess, will be an admirable subject.

Campaigning for a Democratic candidate in the sixties, Paul Newman, standing alone on Main Street, nodded me over to ask if I knew: 'Where a fella could take a leak?"

I did, and shared that information.

Stoney, for that comment I nominate your for Treasury Secretary.  If everyone could answer that we wouldnt be in the jam we're in now.