Madison-related ramblings.

Tonya's back from Italy, and about to turn right back around and go to South Africa. She's got some cool pictures from Italy (I especially like the dizzying staircase with the convex mirror and the pink umbrella). Strangely yet typically, her interest in photography is Dave Matthews-related.

Elsewhere in Madison, Nina is not able to fully approve of her country's hero Lech Walesa, who recently wrote favorably about Ronald Reagan--and the way of the cowboy ("Cowboys fight for justice, fight against evil, and fight for freedom, both physical and spiritual").

That reminds me: the TiVo--Prof. Yin, don't forget I love my TiVo too--just picked up "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." We have Jimmy Stewart on our TiVo "wish list"! That is my favorite Western movie, I think. In an early scene, we see the old, successful Jimmy Stewart about to tell the true story of who John Wayne really is, and he begins his long story with himself at the point of having just graduated from law school. So maybe that's a good one for recent law school graduates. I just checked out the first scene, but I'm going to watch the whole thing and will report back. TiVo also picked up "Fort Apache." That one was because I have Shirley Temple on my wish list. Not John Wayne. (Not John Ford.) Shirley Temple.

Anyway, I love the character names in "Liberty Valance." Not just Liberty Valance (played by Lee Marvin), but Ransom Stoddard (the Stewart character), Marshal Link Appleyard, and Maj. Cassius Starbuckle ...

That reminds me: time to go to a café!