Northern Exposure

It's official. Robert Dynes, President of the University of California system and a native of Canada, announced the hiring of his friend, fellow Canadian Robert Birgeneau (currently President of the University of Toronto) to be the new Chancellor of the Berkeley campus (link here). A pair of Canadians at the helm. Lovely. Sure they are both eminent research physicists and first tier college administrators. But they are also Canadian. Try as I might, I can't help but recall that other Canadian pair, the McKenzie brothers, played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in the 80's film, Strange Brew (link here). I can already see Dynes and Birgeneau in the corner sipping cheap Molson beer from the can, yelling "ya' hoser" at Ward Connerly during the Board of Regents meetings. Heaven help us. We'll have to tack on "eh" to the end of every Cal cheer from now on. "Go Bears, eh", "Beat Stanford, eh". Damn those Canadians.

Double Feature

Managed to see two films this weekend. The first was The Clearing, a Robert Redford film based loosely on a true story of the kidnap and ransom of a wealthy businessman. After having read a glowing review in the San Francisco Chronicle (link here), I eagerly plunked down my nine dollars for this one. Redford films have always been a personal favorite. The Great Gatsby, All the President's Men, Three Days of the Condor, The Natural, A River Runs Through It, Sneakers, Spy Game, ad infinitem. Yes, even Barefoot in the Park. And while The Clearing had me engaged from start to finish, it was an engagement based heavily on anticipation. An anticipation that never found resolution or denouement. The film holds very little action or narrative drive, and its emphasis on character development and set pieces is more befitting a small scale theatrical play. The acting by Redford and Helen Mirren is superb however, and their ever-evolving relationship as husband and wife across time and space lies at the heart of the story. The film employs the device of time to great dramatic effect. It was also interesting to notice the similarities between the tycoon's estate in the movie and the real-life gated estates in nearby Hillsborough. The second movie, The Bourne Supremacy, was a welcome one-eighty. All action, all narrative drive, and little need for character development. This sequel definitely tops the original. The hired Russian assassin kicks arse. Thought it was amusing when he chases the Matt Damon character on a dirt road in Southern India in a brand-spanking-new silver Hyundai Sonata sedan, and Damon alerts his girlfriend that they are being pursued by a "silver Honda". Also noteworthy that the studio avoided any political ramifications of staying true to the Robert Ludlum book. The Ludlum book centers on the assassination of a high level Chinese politician. The filmmakers quietly changed the venue to Russia.

The Republic of Texas

Watching the media coverage of Lance's sixth Tour de France victory, I was amused to hear that a number of the buildings lining the Champs Elysees flew the Texas state flag (in lieu of the American stars and stripes) in honor of the record-breaking event.  State of Texas or Republic of Texas?  Give it time.  Reminded me of The Texas Embassy, the tongue-in-cheek name for a restaurant that T and I found during our walk through the foreign embassy district of London during our last trip.  Hilarious.  I was also amused to hear Bob Roll, a former cyclist and now lead color commentator on OLN, mention Lance's humble beginnings "on the tough streets of Plano, Texas".  As any native of Dallas will tell you, Plano is actually a nice middle-class suburb of Dallas.  It has one of the best school districts in Texas.  It also hosts the national corporate headquarters for J.C. Penney.  "Tough streets"?  Not really.  Anyhow, with Lance winning so many stages in his last six Tours, we may need to change the song "Yellow Rose of Texas" to "Yellow Jersey of Texas".  Hook 'em horns.

To Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill

Mountain biking up the hills of North Berkeley?  Why not I thought.  It was a nice day and I had ready access to a bike.  And having just watched Lance win the final time trial of the Tour de France on OLN, I felt inspired to get my arse off the couch.  So Wagamama Boy and I tossed our bikes into my Subaru and headed for the hills.  The Wildcat Canyon Trail, a mile north of campus, starts at the base of Tilden Park and ascends up the hill to the summit at Inspiration Point.  At the trailhead, Jonathan assured me the climb was fairly gradual with few switchbacks, a category 4 ("easy") or 5 ("senior citizen friendly") rating at best.  Cat 4 or 5 eh.  Oh, okay, not a problem then.  So we headed off, him in a top-of-the-line, shock-absorbing Specialized rock-hopper and me in a jangling, creaking no-name brand mountain bike with a faulty gear shifter.  After the first hundred yards up the sloping trail, I realized we were in for a long, painful ride.  The muscles in my thighs, calves, lower back, and abdomen all began straining, accompanied by an intense burning sensation.  And what I earlier had thought was a fairly soft, comfortable seat began to feel more like an anvil repeatedly hammering away at my backside on the rocky, uneven surface of the trail.  A third of the way up, my heart rate was close to reaching cornary arrest levels, the sweat was streaming down my neck, and my arms were convulsing like a pair of vibrating rubber bands.  And I was cursing like a sailor.  Thankfully there were no underage hikers within ear shot.  But I kept peddling.  And peddling.  And peddling some more.  Admittedly, I had to rest and walk up two of the steeper inclines, but in time, we eventually made it up to the summit.  Mission accomplished.  The view at the top was picturesque, the winds pleasant, the oxygen plentiful.  Yes, oxygen is a beautiful thing.  The ride back down the hill was both exhilarating and terrifying.  Definitely a "white-knuckle" experience.  My rump took an even more intense beating.  As did my arms which effectively operated as shock absorbers for the rattling bike.  But it ended soon enough.  And all-in-all, it was a good first ride, I must say.  Can't wait for the next go around.