esrosedotblog

CROUPIER(1999)

Today's film starring Clive Owen. We both like him; but John just melts. This is a good film about obsession and double personality and gambling and..........well it is just a very good film.

We saw it awhile ago and wanted to see it again and it did not spoil either over time or on the second viewing. This is a four out of Netflix five.

DISUNION

Andrew Sullivan today:

BUSH'S SOTU SLUMP: More evidence that his uninspired SOTU hasn't helped him: Newsweek shows the president slumping back to 50 percent approval ratings. More interesting, Bush is in a statistical tie with Kerry, Edwards and Clark. Of course, these are early, early days; and Rove hasn't unleashed his torrent of negatives against Kerry. But I have the feeling that the Republican leadership think they have another 1988 on their hands. I'm not sure they do. Kerry isn't Dukakis and the old Finklestein liberal-bashing seems tired to me and to many others. Another interesting nugget" the liberal base seems more fired up than the conservative base - 47 percent strongly want Bush defeated, versus 37 percent who strongly want to see him re-elected. I guess a major anti-gay push is now in the works at the White House. On the bright side: it's going to be a fascinating campaign. And, er, I'm not yet ready to write Dean off. It's painful to watch him re-clothe himself as a fiscal conservative. But they sure are a more appealing political couture to the Independents of New Hampshire.

Also, dispiriting is Dean's slippage. I get it and accept it; but I don't have to like it.

CHANGES

New route for the bike ride this morning; thought to take a page out of Franklin's book; take each corner with my nose in the air, instinct turned on. I ended up on a very long uphill drive--straight as an arrow to Vista Chino, the beginning of the desert wind zone; then returned down Palm Canyon through the Village.

I don't get through the village slowly much any more. We do not walk the street as tourists, nor do we go down much, of an evening, to see the lights and the sights; jaded living in a tourist destination. It changes a little each time I do go; but not a lot over time. Provincetown was like that. It could be radically different at the micro-level and not feel changed from the overview. Same buildings; similar objectives of the retail market keep the feel in line.

They are talking about a one-mile-square 'entertainment zone' around the new Casino. 'They' being the local Tribe (who owns the casino) and the City. We are of a mixed mind about it. The City has to grow or it will go backward. When we first came here the Village was a disaster area; half closed. Now, it thrives. A lot of work has gone into rebuilding it; good developers and a committed city. Gambling--they call it 'gaming'--gave added traffic; but you have to have something for the traffic to do and 'gamers' are not multi-taskers. You gotta make it attractive, and it is.

On the other hand we do not want it to get too big; whatever that means. Like I said, we do not go down there a lot anyway. I think it means my resistance to change. The work of the Tribe, so far, has been ultra high quality. They did rehabbed a classy fifties hotel building, for example, rather than tear it down. We will not get to vote anyway. It is all Tribal land and they can do what they want--sovereignty. It is good for them to seem to be asking though.