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 |   Random Writing, Blogs and Adventures |
A mix of Random writing in an attempt to organize my thoughts, storyboard ideas and conserve portfolio space in the process.  |
| Warning: Though I will try to keep them relatively mild, there may be some Spoilers for the Obi-wan series in this entry. As a science fiction fan... I like Star Wars quite a bit and have seen all the movies. However I haven't gotten the chance to watch most of the companion series yet. Most of my Disney+ watching has been going into the Marvel superhero shows and it hasn't left much time for the either the Mandalorian or the Book of Boba Fett. The release of the Obi-wan series forced me to change that. I couldn't resist seeing Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor return to their respective roles of Darth Vader and Obi-wan. I am happy to report that I really enjoyed the series a lot. They cast a really good actress to play the child version of Princess Leia and it was awesome to see so many cast members from their films reprise their roles in the series. The entire cast knocked it out of the park. The series starts off very slow going but crescendos to a dramatic climax and the last two episodes are epic. They saved the best Light saber duels for the end and they were really enjoyable to watch. If you are a Star Wars fan this series is a must see. I really highly recommend it. |
I briefly talked about the New York Botanical Gardens in my last entry and wound up thinking about one of the exotic flowers they showcased... the Titan Arum aka the Corpse Flower. This rare flower can grow to 7 feet in height. It takes about 7 years to bloom and its blossoms last for only 3 days. During the 3 day period, the flower opens up to reveal a bright red center.   The flower gets its signature name from the fact that it produces the smell of a rotting corpse to attract pollinators when it is in bloom. Because it takes a long time to time to blossom the Bronx Botanical gardens always organizes a massive celebration whenever one of these flower comes close to blooming with a web cam streaming the entire period. It draws a huge crowd with tons of people rushing over to see (and smell) it. I attended the last Corpse Flower celebration that the garden was holding a couple of years back. You wouldn't expect a flower blossoming to be so exciting. For the record I did take the opportunity to take in its scent when I was there and yes I would describe the smell to be similar to that of dead animals. When people are encouraged to stop and smell the flowers, I doubt that this would be anyone's first choice. However, getting to inhale this Flower's aroma is a rare opportunity that a person is unlikely to forget. |
In my last entry "The Origin of The Bronx"  I gave some info about some the Bronx (the part of New York City I grew up in). This entry covers some nice locations in the area.In terms of sights, the Bronx doesn't have as many famous landmarks as other boroughs in the city such as Manhattan or Brooklyn. The big one is Yankee Stadium where the Baseball team the New York Yankees play. The current stadium they are using was actually built recently. It replaced an older Stadium that was being used close to 100 years before that (1923-2008). On days where the Yankees. The area around the stadium gets really crowded as thousands of fans come to see them play. Another good site in the area is the Bronx Zoo. It is one of the larger zoos in the world and has a variety of animals to see. In the winter they have a festival called Holiday Lights which is a beautiful display of Christmas lights designed to look like animals you can find within the zoo. Across the street from the Zoo is the New York Botanical Gardens. It hosts a wide variety of flowers. Visiting I recommend checking out their green house which has several areas dedicated to plants from different climates such as the rainforest and the desert. Another smaller landmark in the Poe Cottage. This was the home of the writer Edgar Allan Poe. It is a relatively small house but still pretty nice to check out if you are a fan of his work. The 5th sight that is heavily recommended in my area of the Bronx is Van Cortlandt park. The park is the third largest in the city as has several areas and trails for hiking and taking in nature. It also has a parade ground with with Soccer fields, a track field for running and a bike trail that leads to goes all the way from New York to Canada. The Bronx is one the quieter areas of New York City. However it still has some nice places to visit that are definitely cool to check out.  Author's note: Like the earlier Bronx entry, originally I started writing this as part of a challenge for "Invalid Item" and didn't get a chance to finish it but wound up going back and completing it for "I Write: Enter the Second Decade" . |
| I'm showing my age writing this entry. One of the unexpected bonuses of the videogame Grand Theft Auto Vice City is that it has a spectacular sound track. The game is set in Vice City which resembles Florida in the 1980s. (A nod to the TV series Miami Vice.) Players of the game are treated to radio stations playing classic 80's songs as they drive around causing chaos throughout the city. Having been born in the 80's, I love the sound track of this game a lot. The Game includes such hits as... Flock of Seagulls - I run so Far Away Michael Jackson - Billy Jean Lionel Ritchie - Running with the Night and Toto - I Kissed the Rains down in Africa My favorite Song to listen to in the game however was... Just Died in your Arms tonight by Cutting Crew Whenever that song would come on in the in game radio, I would rock out hard to it. I wound up making my own CD of 80's music from the game to drive along to. Of course listening to that song was a huge treat on any long drive. My favorite time playing the soundtrack was driving around Miami bringing some in game moments to life minus anything illegal. It felt awesome!! |
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