Tralfaz

Blog

  • Drugs, Inc.

    Drugs, Inc.

    I have posted before on the NatGeo show, Drugs, Inc. having blown through the first 4 seasons in a binge watch, then forgot about it. Lately, I saw that Netflix had a couple of new seasons, so back I go into it.

    This set of episodes is a little different than the early ones that were more on the supply chain, and talking about the logistics. Now they go into detail on the party scene that drives demand, like the Molly users on the club circuit, or spring break celebrations, or the Independence Day celebration in Chicago, or New Year’s Eve in New York.

    Like the original episodes, they do a great job of capturing the human element, the risks taken by the people who source the raw materials, the intermediate production steps, and the traffickers.

    Of course, there is plenty of focus on the users, the “demand” component to the equation.

    In all it is a pretty balanced view, and there is little sympathy for the end users. They clearly have gotten themselves into their situation, and many of them acknowledge their problems, and don’t blame anyone but themselves. Still, it is fairly tragic to watch.

    The detail that they go into, particularly around the Mexican cartels, and the hidden camera work is impressive. Clearly, they have made good use of GoPro cameras.

    If you get a chance, drop it in your Netflix queue.

  • Reprise: Rush – the movie

    Last night, I grudgingly (ok, not so grudging) watched “Rush” which I had posted on in 2014 after watching it on a plane. Barbara had added it to our netflix list, and since it is DVD only it took a while for us to roll up to it.

    Here is my review of it from 2014. (more…)

  • It’s Over (Sopranos)

    It’s Over (Sopranos)

    Not quite a marathon of binge watching, but as I have posted a couple of times already, we have been working our way through The Sopranos a couple of episodes a night. It took about a month with a few breaks (notably a week in Baja California), so it really wasn’t a binge, per se.

    In my other observations, I mentioned how unsympathetic the characters are, how callous their actions, and how quick to violence or murder they are. The last few episodes took this to an extreme. From Chris shooting his screenwriting “partner” in a alcohol and narcotics fueled rage, to Tony’s hastening the demise of Chris Moltisanto after the auto wreck (you really can’t feel too sorry for his death, he superbly played the “dick” druggie throughout the series), and the escalation of the war of the families near the end. (more…)

  • Mid series checkin – Sopranos

    Mid series checkin – Sopranos

    A while back, I posted about (finally) watching The Sopranos, and how I became hooked. I am now about halfway through season 4, and completely addicted. From the catchy opening credit music, to the music that indicates the outro, I just can’t put these down.

    It is good that so many of the actors/actresses from Goodfellas found work. Including Spider (Michael Imperioli) whom Joe Pesci shot in the card game scene.

    But, like Mad Men before it, the characters that you get into, that draw you into the episodes are so utterly horrible, so unsympathetic, that you can’t stop. Like the womanizing Don Draper, Tony Soprano is unfaithful, a louse, a fairly poor manager of his “crew”, with members of said crew testing their boundaries that contribute to chaos. (more…)

  • The Temptation of the Reader

    The Temptation of the Reader

    I was an early adopter of the e-reader technology. As a heavy business traveler, and an even heavier reader to fill the gaps of time on said business trips, I would often hit the used bookstore to pick up inexpensive tomes of SciFi to read and leave when I was on the road.

    The first touchscreen reader, the Sony PRS 700
    The first touchscreen reader, the Sony PRS 700

    The E-Reader ended that wasteful practice. My first reader was a Sony PRS-700, the first reader with a touchscreen, and I never looked back. About the same time that I bought that, Amazon introduced their Kindle.

    Fast forward past a stolen Sony, a replaced Sony, and finally caving in and buying a 2013 edition of the Kindle Paperwhite reader. I have switched my allegiance to Amazon (grudgingly, I will admit that they have created a far better experience and ecosystem than Sony or others could), and read it every day. (more…)

  • Mexican Vacation – Drive down the Coast

    Mexican Vacation – Drive down the Coast

    Recap: We finally arrived in San Felipe late on Tuesday. After a long and exhausting day, Wednesday was a “chill” day, with a simple drive around the El Dorado Ranch development, and a quick, light lunch by the Cabana. Then we swung by the championship golf course, and met one of the Crawford’s friends, El Vira.

    A lazy afternoon (some windows were being delivered and installed for the enclosed patio), and a delightful dinner of gulf shrimp and brisket for impromptu surf ‘n turf.

    Thursday, we were far more adventurous. The goal was to see the sights, to take in lunch at a little fishing enclave, Papa Fernandez. (more…)

  • Mexican Vacation – The Trip Down

    Mexican Vacation – The Trip Down

    We have had a long open invitation to visit one of my wife’s friends who retired to San Felipe, Baja California, but the timing never worked out, so we begged off. But with recent life changes, we had no excuse remaining, so last week we visited the Crawford’s in San Felipe.

    The trip down was uneventful. We split the drive into two days, stopping in Palm Desert as a good stopping point. The second day, we needed to knock around until our hosts picked us up in El Centro, so we went down by the Salton Sea. I had never been there (or if I had, I was too young to remember) but had flown over it about a million times. (more…)

  • The Joy of Travel

    The Joy of Travel

    For the last week, I have been pretty much offline, enjoying the sun, surf, and unlimited outdoor enjoyment offered by San Felipe, Mexico. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and we are back over the border, and headed for home.

    Instead of our usual slog through the LA Basin, we grabbed 215 to 15 to 395 to 58 and came in to Bakersfield via Victor Valley and the Tehachapi Pass. A much more pleasant drive, albeit longer.

    Our plan was to crash for the night at the truck area at the junction of I5 and 58. A known distance from home, it makes for an easy 3 hour drive back home.

    There are several hotels there (well, now I think there are only 2) and we really didn’t care for extravagant, just cheap and clean. (more…)

  • Guilty Pleasure – Milla Jovovich movies

    Guilty Pleasure – Milla Jovovich movies

    I can admit that there is something about scifi movies with Milla Jovovich kicking ass that I just enjoy watching.

    Multipass

    My first exposure was with the SciFi comedy “5th Element” a movie that I have watched probably 100 times, and to this day think is probably Luke Perry’s finest acting ever, it is a thoroughly enjoyable romp. Many memorable lines in the movie, starring Bruce Willis, Ian Holm, as well as Gary Oldman as the bad guy.

    Who can forget the epic line: “Multipass”?  Geeks everywhere get the reference.

    This catapulted her career as a kick-ass protagonist in the genre.

    Following The Fifth Element comes the slick production of Ultraviolet, where she again just reigns supreme. The premise being: (more…)

  • Late to the Party – The Sopranos

    Late to the Party – The Sopranos

    I just started watching The Sopranos. Yeah, I am lame. Of course I heard all the raving and wonderful reviews, but I didn’t have HBO, and I never rented the DVD’s.

    Now, with the Roamio, I have connected both my Netflix account and my Amazon Prime account for streaming. The Amazon app recommended “The Sopranos.”

    I am hooked, about to start the 5th episode of the first season, and it is intoxicating.

    It is also good to see all the actors from Goodfella’s getting some more work.

    Yeah, I know how it ends, but it has been long enough since it originally aired, I can really enjoy it.

    The first episode wasn’t quite enough to capture my attention, but it has grown on me.