Icewind's Ramblings

I have always liked the movie Forrest Gump and the way in the movie that Forrest’s life is happenstance and wanders . . . only to find itself in a place in time that has an effect on everyone around him. Take a look at the opening scene from the movie, Forrest Gump. Is it dumb luck or destiny?   Some of both I suppose but it amazes me that our own lives sometimes make twists and turns that surprise us.   Did we have our own plan and it worked out or did things happen as dumb luck blowing in the wind?   Did preparation meets opportunity happen in the cosmos giving us unexpected results? Could it be that simple?   I think not.   Everyone has a destiny, but the journey to find it is undefined.     Forrest is like the feather, blown around by the wind and does whatever he is told.   This journey, though random and simple, leads Forrest to many good things. He never knew where he would end up, but he reached it all the same. Is that how life re...

When we were younger there used to be a distinction between the movies & television .  The movies at the theater were called the Big Screen while television seen at home was the Small Screen .  Today, it would be a misnomer to say that.  From the big screen analog to the flat screen High Definition TV’s of today, the television of today is also the Big Screen. I would probably like to say . . . my name is Icewind and I'm a TV addict.  I've only recently admitted this, and I probably would still be in denial except for the fact that we just brought into the house a fourth HDTV cable box (digital video recorders).  Mind you they are not all for my watching as I travel somewhat but when I am home like to see my favorite programs.  We've got the big (42”) flat screen TV in the living room, and there is an older television in the bedroom (20”) for my wife to get away from all of the chaos from the grandkids.  She will fall asleep with that one on...

The rest of the country has Groundhog Day but as always we do things a little different here in Alaska .  During last years legislative session Senator Linda Menard’s Senate Bill 58 finally passed and tomorrow marks Alaska ’s official first Marmot Day. In the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, the character Bill Murray played, Phil Connors, wakes up each morning repeating February 2 over and over again.  Phil’s sour and sarcastic attitude carried through each day in the beginning until he finally changed his outlook on things and looked for the positive or meaningful things in life breaking the cycle. We should all look around for the positive things each day so we do not become in a ‘rut’ going through life in some meaningless existence. Celebrating Marmot Day in Alaska is not quite like Pennsylvania ’s version with Punxsutawney Phil as we did not give our marmots and weather forecasting duties ensuring no one gets blamed for the crazy weather found here.  Groundhogs are ...

Thanks to AMC cable channel it was nice that they are playing Christmas Vacation over and over again today.  I awoke early and was able to watch it in the quiet of my man cave . . . no laundry going at this early hour. The days this week leading up to this morning were filled with all of the necessary items that make up “that perfect family Christmas” that Clark Griswold so earnestly tried to bring together. My family was probably no different from his as everyone scrambled with busy lives, work, doctors appointments, and the waiting for when those that had been out of town returned home for the holiday’s . . . then add to the mix our family dysfunction and the stage was set. "I don't know what to say, except its Christmas and we're all in misery. (Ellen Griswold)" - Christmas Vacation Dog barking, kids screaming and running around like chickens with their head cut off (if you’ve lived in the South and watched your grandmother do this before the holiday mea...

We’ve made it to Christmas week and with it watching the traditional holiday movies we sit through every year.  My brother loves “It’s a Wonderful Life” while my sister likes “Miracle on 34 th Street ”.  My favorite is “National Lampoon Christmas Vacation”.  I find it hard to believe that it has been out 20 years now and it still brings us laughter year after year. This is the classic tale of a man trying to have a ‘good old’ family Christmas with his "good old" family.  The quiet dream of every man, I think, is to have that perfect holiday.  Too bad like the movie it never quite turns out that way. There's a reason the "Cousin Eddie" character in Christmas Vacation resonates with so many.  We've all got a Cousin Eddie, or two, in our extended families.  Some of us . . . are Cousin Eddie. Probably many of our families weren't designed for a televised Christmas special as our dysfunction would be awkward on TV.  Who knows with the curre...

This weekend I have been feeling under the weather so other than my Saturday breakfast meeting I have stayed around the house resting and trying to get rid of a nasty bout of sneezing, wheezing, and coughing.  They call it the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, so you can rest medicine and oddly it’s true.  Feel like crap, take some Nyquil and hopefully feel better.  It may take two days but at least it seems to work. During this down time I haven’t felt like working on a couple of upcoming bids but I did get in a few hours here and there.  I did feed the birds a bit and hung out watching movies.  Today the house has been mostly quiet as my wife and father in law headed down to Seward to go fishing.  Gus and I have enjoyed a couple of brief naps between my sneezing attacks making for some funny moments as he is trying to figure out what is going on with me and all of the noise. One of the movies seen this weekend was S...