Bear Encounters of the Hiking Kind

I have been hiking very frequently as of late. Due to my schedule, which is unusual to say the least, I have learned to just go ahead on my own, having overcome the stigma of always feeling it would be better for someone else to come with me. One lesson that we all learn in life at some point, it seems, is not to rely on others in order to achieve something. Just do it. So, solo hiking became a regular routine in my life.


That said, every now and then, you just might get reminders that there are risks to everything, as well. With hiking, there are multiple risk factors. You could twist an ankle or otherwise find yourself getting injured. You could get lost if you are somewhere unfamiliar, if you are not careful. There are things in the woods that could pose a threat, including ticks – something that every hiker will encounter sooner or later. Finally, there are bears.

Now, I have had plenty of episodes by now with ticks. In fact, just last week on a hike at Wawayanda, I got a record three ticks in one day! A few days later, when I went hiking with a friend with a couple of dogs, they had a total of fifteen ticks between them, and one of them alone had ten! Ticks are a very unpleasant reality when you are a regular hiker. But you have no choice: if you want to hike, you have to deal with the risks. Everything in life comes with risks, after all.

The other big risk that I personally have encountered numerous times would be bears. Unlike ticks, they are immediately threatening and will (or should) freeze you in your tracks. Even though this is the northeast, and the bears around here are not known to be as aggressive as the grizzlies to the West, or the killer Klondikes in Alaska and northwestern Canada , or the Polar Bears of the far north. We have black bears here, and black bears are not usually threatening to people.

Of course, that does not prevent them from being controversial. It was only a few years ago that New Jersey introduced the bear hunt, and in my neck of the woods, you would be hard pressed to go driving around town without seeing some kind of a reminder of this divisive issue, if you are paying attention. There are tons of bumper stickers on other cars, or small posters on people's lawns, showing support for or against the bear hunt. It is a frequent subject of conversation in the local papers, as well, with many people voicing their concerns both for and against the bear hunt. Many people view bears as to much of a threat not to start killing them off, or perhaps, in some cases, eliminating them altogether. Since we have not gone quite that far with it (yet), there are friendly reminders not to feed the bear, both outright (which one would think should be obvious), and in a less direct manner, such as how to store discarded food and remnants, so that bears will not rummage through garbage and find food, but rather will learn to live under their own power and live under the abundance, or the lack thereof at times, of what nature in the woods provides them.

Personally, I see them as a privilege to see. It never seems to fail: when they make an appearance, people are in genuine awe. They recognize and respect the danger, since bears obviously have superior power over human beings physically. When you see a bear, you have to take precautions.

So yes, I definitely feel that they are a privilege to see, and a reminder that we actually do live amidst some wilderness. Seeing as though wilderness itself seems to be going extinct, this is no small privilege. That is why it seems so dangerous to me for people to talk so casually about killing off bears, so that they do not pose a threat any longer to "us" – that is, people. After all, they were here first, and unlike us, they have nowhere else to go. This is their natural habitat, in the woods. They belong there, and we are encroaching upon them, rather than the other way around. You don't like that, and feel that the wilderness here poses too much of a threat, to yourself or your family (particularly young ones)? Than don't buy a house in the wilderness. It's really that simple. It's the height of hypocrisy, to say nothing of the arrogance of indifference, to assume that you should be able to impose exactly what you want upon your surroundings, to make everything precisely as you want it to be.

In a perfect world, we could live within wilderness, and never feel threatened by things bigger and stronger than us. That is an unfamiliar position for us human beings to be in, since we never seem to expose ourselves to such limitations anymore in our daily lives. But this is not a perfect world, and the precious wilderness that we do have does indeed possess some potential threats to us. That is as it should be, because that is how this world works. You never know the potential unforeseen consequences of your actions, especially when you do not think them through thoroughly. If we were to kill off the bears because of the threat or inconvenience that they pose to us when we encroach on their lives, than it will be forever. Kill them all off, and indeed they are not going to come back. How long can we human beings go on thinking and acting in this way, when the evidence of our destructiveness the world over is transparent and more and more unavoidable – and almost always because we allow ourselves to believe enough in a more ideal solution that we can impose upon that world that we inhabit. How very selfish of us!

In any case, back to the bears. I have now encountered quite a few bears over the years, and that includes some times while hiking, and basically being completely exposed. If they had decided to do anything, there would have been very little indeed that I could have done in response.

It seemed that for years and years, when younger, I only heard others talk about episodes with bears that they had, and listened to them mention having caught glimpses of bears, and it seemed like I was the only local who had never actually seen one in the wild in person! So, I was really desiring the opportunity to finally see one in person, bt it never seemed to happen.

And then one morning, all of that changed. It was in 1996, if memory serves correctly. Very early in the morning, as I was on my way to work. No one else was on the road, and I saw what I took to be a rather large and odd-shaped dog crossing the road. When I passed the area it had gone off in, and saw it again from the back, it was clearly not a dog, but a bear. A small bear, probably a cub. But a bear nonetheless.

From that point on, it seemed that bears popped up periodically, and almost always at unexpected times. There was one time when I saw a bunch of people congregated en masse and watching something. I looked at where they were staring at. By a telephone pole, there was a bear that had climbed up, and was apparently nervous about coming down. There were fire trucks and police present, although I have no idea what happened the rest of the way.

At Wawayanda, I encountered some bears here and there. Sometimes, it was just glimpses from a car. But other times, it was in person. One time, it was actually a close call, and the bear, who had just crossed a stream and passed within fifty feet ahead of where I was, turned and looked directly at me. Admittedly, that was a bit unnerving.

More recently, I have seen plenty of bears when passing by in a car, but have had more encounters with them while hiking. There was one episode last year, right around this time of the year, in mid- to late May or early June, when I was stomping rather loudly down a part of the trail at Norvin Green (the Weis Ecology Center woods) near the Otterhole parking area, when I apparently startled a bear. It's funny, because your senses seem heightened when you go in nature, particularly in the woods. A tiny little chipmunk or squirrel running around on dead leaves will make enough of a racket that you will think it is a deer. A deer will make enough noise that you might think it is a bear. So, I always wondered what an actual bear would sound like, and got the opportunity on that day. Again, it was startled, and there was no mistaking the heaviness in the footsteps. It began to climb a tree instinctively, and then turned in my general direction. Had I continued down the trail, it probably would have been okay. But my natural instinct was to back up, and that meant that the bear was ahead of me, blocking my way. I ducked out of sight, and tried to wait it out. It ended up lasting an hour. I kept stealing glances, and the bear's head would pop up and look in my direction, and so I would duck back down again. Over and over. Finally, it began to move a bit, and that was the chance I had been waiting for. Picking up some sticks and a stone or two, I began to throw the stone al around me, and to rustle the leaves with my sticks, hitting branches, and speaking in a loud, yelling voice, trying to make it seem like I was a large group of people, rather than one lone bozo. It worked, too! The bear, by then some distance away, looked at me, and ran away. Right after that, I saw a much smaller bear right behind the first bear, and understood that the danger had been greater than I had originally assumed. A mother and her cub! Not a safe combination at all!

This year, however, has been on a whole new level! It is only mid-May, but I have never seen so many bears in such a short time span before! While hiking yesterday, I encountered the biggest bear that I have ever seen in the wild. It was very large and by itself, with no cubs, both of which would be strong arguments to suggest that this was a male. It was right in front of me, about maybe fifty to sixty yards (or meters) away. I did not immediately see it, but saw a tall branch from a tree moving wildly. It was raining, but there was no significant wind to speak of, so the immediate suspicion was a bear. It started walking, and for one alarming moment, I thought it was coming m way! But it veered off to the side of the trail, and I watched carefully, quietly, trying to stand still and blend in, as if I were a tree, or some other natural part of the setting. When I could not see or hear it anymore, I proceeded, with a great degree of caution, and spotted it's huge bulk surprisingly close to me. It had it's back to me, which I was grateful for, and I went through that part of the trail as silently, but as quickly, as possible. I stole a few glances back, to catch some glimpses of the huge bear, without trying to put myself at risk or stupidly make some noise or do something that would attract its’ attention.

There were a few other instances where I saw some bears from more of a distance. The first time came in March, which I think would normally have been early to see them, but given that this was such a mild winter, perhaps it was not all that surprising. I was hiking on the Silas trail, and when on top of the one cliff that kind of overlooks a stream, there were sounds like rustling through the woods by some large thing. For whatever reason, I kind of expected hunters, or teens just going through the woods. But when I looked down from the perch, there were three or four bears, who by then were in the stream, making quite a bit of noise! It was fascinating, and safer than most of the other encounters thus far, which were at closer range.

A couple of days later, I saw what seemed like a cub, racing through a valley, more or less away from me. Perhaps I startled it, or perhaps it was for some other reason that it was running. I looked all over for the mother, but she was nowhere to be seen, and nothing further came of that. I saw another cub by itself just a few weeks ago, in April, although that was while driving in the woods that I was about to hike in. It was a bit unnerving, but I went for the hike, anyway.

Then there was another time that the mother bear and it’s cubs were basically right on my path, maybe half a football field’s length from where I was. They were moving, and heading towards a point even farther off to the side, well away from the trail. I froze in place, fascinated and watching. At some point, I made a noise while shifting, because there was a plastic water bottle that I picked up along the way (to recycle later), and this made some noise. The mother stopped what she was doing and looked in my general direction, even seemed to sniff the air. But I held in place, trying to blend in, seem like a tree or some other part of the scenery. Before long, the bears moved on, and disappeared into some rocky outcroppings.

So, that’s it. Five encounters (and counting?) with bears thus far in 2012! Of course, I have been hiking more than ever before, as well, so that surely has something to do with it all. But five in the span now of perhaps slightly more than two months is far more than I ever expected, admittedly! Yes, I still feel that they are a privilege to see, but can I also admit to being a bit nervous at times about these encounters?

You never know. That’s the way the world of wilderness works, and although I live in New Jersey, the trails are, nevertheless, wilderness. Nervous, perhaps. But that does not mean I am about to seriously consider not hiking any longer. In fact, I am just about due for another hike right now, as I write this!

See you on the trails!

A Huge Presence in a Tiny Corner of the Far North

Something very interesting has been happening in the world, and yet, you hardly ever hear anything about it. There could be a number of factors that contribute to this, and there may some degree of legitimacy and a nodding of the head when one thinks about why we have not heard about it. But given the current world political and economic malaise, it seems a safe bet to me that we could sure use this example as a possible alternative to fix our own problems, or at least to understand them a bit better, at the very least.

The news that I am referring to has happened in Iceland, and of course, Iceland is a small and isolated country. This is a country that is isolated, far away from everything and everyone else, right? It has a population smaller than that of Wichita, Kansas. We rarely hear about Iceland anyway, right? Funny, but we did hear about it when the economy there collapsed. That much I do remember, and the tone of the story was much like the reprimanding tone that is often taken by major news media towards Greece presently, which is to say an accusatory tone. So, if it seemed important enough at the time for the news to be mentioned about the irresponsibility of some of the Icelandic financial institutions and the burden that they placed on the Icelandic people, it stands to reason that the response by the people themselves should warrant some press, right? But, apparently not. Still, it seems that we can at least disqualify the small size of Iceland as the reason that we did not hear about the events that have transpired there. So there must be another reason.

Which leads to mention of another possibility, one that seems (at least to the author of this piece) far more cynical and calculated. This is not to suggest that there is no small measure of arrogance involved in making assumptions that what happens in small nation like Iceland could not possibly have any impact for the American people, and thus is not deemed worthy enough to so much as be mentioned in American media outlets. But what makes this story potentially more explosive is that it very well may have been specifically left out of the news precisely because it would attract attention, and could have some consequences upon larger nations – and that certainly includes the United States.

The people themselves responded. They protested before the parliament and eventually threw out the government, including the prime minister and his whole government.  It was agreed in 2008 that they would have to pay their debts, largely based on the bad decisions of Iceland's financial institutions. But the terms of the deal were harsh, and would last a decade and a half, at an interest rate of over 5%.

So, the people demanded a referendum, and got one. Overwhelmingly, Icelanders voted against this payment, forcing creditors to renegotiate, and give a new repayment deal at a lower interest rate of 3%. In the meantime, those in positions of responsibility during the financial crisis were held accountable, and were pursued legally. Many were imprisoned. The banksters that regularly get away with anything and everything in other Western countries and much of the rest of the world, and who seem to have the rule of the roost, for once were held accountable for their actions in tiny Iceland, of all places. This was done by regular people who were fed up, took to the streets, and demanded a change. A new constitution was drafted, which includes provisions that directly drew from the lessons learned from the unfortunate financial episode that the country had to endure. With the help of Interpol in locating and arresting those responsible parties who fled Iceland, the government is still seeking to bring these guilty parties to justice.

All of this, all of these sweeping changes, were done completely peacefully. Not a shot was fired.

The fact that you never hear about a country like Iceland bothers me, personally, and especially when it is news like this that comes out of it. Perhaps it is because I myself am a dual citizen, and my father took a very different approach to "world news" as it was portrayed in this country than many others did. When he would make his arguments, they would in fact make a lot of sense. But that is a topic for another time.

Specifically about Iceland, however, there are things that make this one of the most fascinating and, frankly, one of the most exotic places in the world. I have long held a fascination about Iceland, because it just seemed remarkable that a tiny island nation in the middle of the northern Atlantic would be 90% uninhabitable. The landscape itself is incredible, and a sight to behold, filled with volcanoes and strange, almost alien landscapes. It was never overrun by trees, but those forests that did once populate the land were largely cut down by the people there, and in recent years, there has been an emphasis on replanting trees. Many people suggest that it is not properly named, that Iceland is green and Greenland is ice, and that maybe the names should have been switched somewhere along the way. Although Iceland is geographically located just outside of the Arctic Circle, it is warmed considerably by the Gulf Stream and, thus, has fairly moderate temperatures. The days during winter can be very short, and much like the other Scandinavian countries, the days can be very long during the summer. It rarely gets brutally cold during the winter (although this could be changing with the increasingly punishingly cold winters that all of Europe has been experiencing lately in recent years), and the summers are not exactly what we would call hot, often not getting warmer than what much of the Northeastern United States or Northwestern Europe might experience in early to mid-spring. It is not known as a place that people flock to in order to get suntans and lay on the beach, in other words.

Iceland has a pretty rich history stretching back a long time, as well. There are sagas here that are a rich source of mythology and literature, ad have been praised by no less of an authority on the subject than Joseph Campbell! Iceland is home to the oldest remaining parliament in the world, the Althing, which was founded in 930 – although it should be noted that it was reestablished in 1845 after having been abolished in 1799. Still, it can boast a claim, with some legitimacy, to being the oldest existent parliamentary democracy in the world. The people of Iceland get their water directly from the source, and the water is so clean, that there is no filtering process. Also, they get their hot water directly from their sources of hot springs. It is the only country in the world that can boast such things. Also, it should be noted that, although perhaps tiny, Iceland boasts one of the highest, and wealthiest, standards of living in the world.

As small of a nation as it indeed is, it nevertheless leads the superpower United States, a country that has 1,000 times more people than tiny Iceland, in some significant alternative energy research and technologies, and that, if anything, is nearly criminal. It certainly illustrates the arrogance of indifference that many Americans seem to feel they can afford about the impact that their lifestyle of unchecked consumption of consumer goods and resources have had on the planet. How can a country with a population smaller than Wichita, Kansas, be leading the world's leading superpower in anything, let alone something so significant and responsible? As an American, that level of arrogance among my countrymen shames me.

So, Iceland is indeed a fascinating place in general, but the recent events in particular that shook up the nation could serve as a lesson for others around the world. Instead, it has remained in the shadows, largely ignored, and this seems to me to be to the impoverishment of us all.

Below are some links for further information and illumination on this truly fascinating subject:

http://ipatriot.co.uk/iceland-overthrows-government-banks-media-suppresses-news/

http://americanpatriottoday.net/2012/05/the-revolution-governments-world-wide-dont-want-you-to-know-about/

The NHL Conference Finals: The East

In the Eastern Conference Finals, it will be a series between two teams that are very close to each other geographically, and very familiar with one another, to boot. The New York Rangers, the top seed in the East, will meet the rejuvenated New Jersey Devils. 

Each team has had to survive at least one seven game series already, with the Devils having survived a Game 7 against the Florida Panthers, after having survived possible elimination in Game 6 to force the decisive Game 7, while the Rangers now have had to survive two consecutive seven game series, also thwarting elimination in Game 6 at Ottawa to force a Game 7, which they hosted and won, and then having just survived the Washington Capitals in a back and forth series. The Rangers finally outlasted Washington to earn their berth in the Eastern Finals. 

So, here they are again. A rivalry renewed. For the second time, they meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. The last time that they met at that level, it was epic. Way back in 1994,  the Rangers needed all seven games to finally get by the Devils, on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they again won a seven game series to finally break the 54 year curse and win the cup for the Big Apple. Mark Messier famously predicted a victory against the Devils in Game 6, where the Rangers had faced elimination, and after New York fell behind 2-0, Messier delivered, scoring a hat trick en route to a 4-2 comeback win that kept the Rangers alive to host Game 7, which they would win. Otherwise, New York hockey memories might have been very different.

Of course, the Devils won the Stanley Cup themselves the next year, and have won it a total of three times, and gone to the Stanley Cup Finals four times overall (they lost in seven to the Colorado Avalanche in 2001). Martin Brodeur, the starting goalie for the Devils on all three championship squads, has now earned the ranking as the greatest goaltender in history, arguably. He has won more games and posted more shutouts than any other goaltender, and this might be his last chance at adding to his championship legacy. 

Yet, the Rangers stand in the way, of course. These two teams have met in the playoffs five times before, with the Rangers having won four of the five series. But past history should not really matter too much in this series, since these are different teams. New York's success so far has seen their fans openly reminiscing about 1994, and claiming that they see shades of that glorious team in this one. 

The question is, how tired are the Rangers? The Devils had to survive a seven game series themselves in the first round, but they pretty much thoroughly demolished the Philadelphia Flyers in five, and have had plenty of time to rest since then, making them the more well rested team. Of course, if you flip that around, that also suggests that the Rangers should be sharper, having been on the ice much more recently. 

I will predict that the Devils sharp play of late will continue, and the Rangers, perhaps a bit worn down from their long and exhausting series against Ottawa and Washington, find themselves worn down, and eventually out, by New Jersey, with it's tough defense and goaltending. It will not be an easy series, but the Devils should be able to take it in six.

The NHL Conference Finals: The West

In the Western Conference Finals, the surprising Los Angeles Kings, the lowest seed in the West, will take on the Phoenix Coyotes, a team that finally has shown some of the promise that many people felt about them.

Los Angeles started the season red hot, then seemed to cool off as it went along. They were eventually good enough, however, to qualify for the playoffs, but many people overlooked them, being such a low seed, and facing the defending Western Conference Champions, the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver had posted the best regular season record for the second season in a row, and clearly wanted another crack at the Cup, having come so close last year, only to fall short. It seemed that the Kings would be taken care of quickly.

Instead, Los Angeles surprised the Canucks by jumping all over them, taking the first two games in Vancouver, much to the shock and horror of the home fans their. When the Kings won Game 3, it seemed that the best Vancouver could hope for was to avoid the embarrassing sweep. That they did with a Game 4 victory, and with the series returning to Vancouver, perhaps a series could still be made of it. But Los Angeles took care of that, defeating Vancouver on the road to finish the shocking outcome, and move on the next round, where they met the second-seeded St. Louis Blues.

Now, I will admit to assuming that Vancouver was going to win that first round series, and also will admit that I expected the Blues to take care of them, figuring that they would not be able to sneak up on St. Louis like they apparently had Vancouver. So, what happened? The Kings won even more convincingly, taking the series quickly and thoroughly in a four game sweep, to qualify for the Western Conference Finals. When was the last time a team defeated the top two seeds in a Conference before? Actually, this was a first. It never happened before. That obviously speaks well of the Kings.

That is not to suggest that what the Phoenix Coyotes have accomplished is not impressive. In the first round, they thoroughly outplayed the Chicago Blackhawks, the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions, and a young team of still considerable promise and perennial Cup favorite. they then easily dispatched with the rising Nashville Predators, and will have home ice advantage against Los Angeles, which probably will not hurt. However, it also did not help either the Vancouver Canucks nor the St. Louis Blues, neither of whom actually managed to grab a home victory against the Kings, and combined for an 0-5 home record against surging Los Angeles.

This is only the second Western Conference Finals appearance by the Kings in franchise history - the first being their epic 1993 Stanley Cup run with "The Great One", Wayne Gretzky. Yet, that is one more than the Phoenix Coyotes have ever made in their franchise history. Since, obviously, no one remains on Los Angeles from that last run, that translates to this being a new experience for both teams, and so experience should not be the deciding factor. It seems that the team that is hottest should pull it off, and that is why I feel the Los Angles Kings will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. They are playing some absolutely phenomenal hockey at the moment, and I had not taken them too seriously up to this point, figuring that their victory over the Vancouver Canucks had been some sort of a fluke. But following that up with a sweep against the number 2 seed St. Louis Blues taught me something, and it is hard to imagine them not winning this next round, and thus, becoming the first team to defeat all the top three seeds in a conference en route to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Movie Review: The Lucky One

I was not sure what to expect with this movie. I had heard it was good, but had not heard or read any reviews on it, or anything.

This story begins in Iraq .  Sergeant Logan Thibault finds himself in a combat situation at a home of presumably suspicious people. His team runs into another American Marine unit. It seems that they just scared one another and a close call, but suddenly, they find themselves under attack by hostiles, and there are casualties. It is a nightmare, but we next see Thibault the next morning. He, like the other soldiers, is standing around outside, and he finds himself distracted by something on the ground, perhaps thirty or so feet ahead of him. He goes over to pick it up and examine it, and finds a picture of a beautiful young woman by a lighthouse. As he is contemplating the picture, there is a surprise explosion that strikes right where he had been standing just moments earlier, and he understands that the picture served as a distraction that got him away from where he otherwise surely would have died. He begins to view the woman in the picture as angelic, as his personal guardian angel. He hangs onto the picture, and is determined to find the woman. We watch one more instance, when he takes out the picture as he is discussing it with his buddy, just before his buddy gets killed.

When he returns home, we find him struggling to adjust to life here. The video games that children play, with their loud explosions, causes him alarm. When his cousins at the house he is temporarily living in sneak up on him while he is sleeping one morning, he automatically protects himself and throws himself on top of the child, not knowing or remembering that he is no longer in Iraq. It is clear that it is time for him to go.

So he does. Logan has found a match for the lighthouse on the internet, and walks all the way from where he is, in Colorado , to Louisiana- to the town where that woman in the picture had been. He asks around and, before long, finds out that her name is Beth, and ultimately, he finds her in town, at a dog training facility.

Logan goes to meet her, and it is awkward. He wants to tell her why he is there, but she does not understand, and he suddenly finds himself accepting a job with the dogs. Of course, the movie goes on from there.

Beth is skeptical at first, and really does not like him or want him around. But when he proves not only useful, but good with her son, she begins to take a liking to him. Of course, predictably, it begins to be a lot more than that. It is a movie, after all. So therefore, you also know that it is not going to be that easy. There is a jealous ex in the picture, and he is a respected and well-liked member of the local police force. He is also the father of Beth's son, and constantly threatens to take him away from her. Suddenly, Logan finds himself harassed, but he remains resilient, mostly just keeping to himself. But the tensions keep mounting, as the relationship grows more serious, until they finally reach a breaking point.

They have a lot of obstacles. The ex is just one obstacle, but Beth also has to come to terms with the loss of a loved one in Iraq , and Logan specifically reminds her of him. She has lost someone close to her under mysterious circumstances, and would do anything to find out the truth of how he actually died. When Logan begins to understand that he was there and can enlighten her, it causes a whole new wave of tension, and threatens to break them apart.

This is a good movie overall. A feel good movie, to be sure, and not one meant to be taken too seriously, or anything. It is a happy romance, and at times, a little too idyllic. But it nonetheless is a good and pleasing movie that explores enough outside elements to make it interesting on another level, as well.

All in all, The Lucky One is a decent quality movie, even if it, ultimately, is in fact a "chick flick".

Some moments with my son...

Just a quick note, but I had a few special moments with my son this past week, and I just wanted to preserve it, while he is still a young child.

On Monday, I took him out to eat at Friendly's. He had a decent appetite and ate heartily - apparently a little too heartily! After putting him to bed, I heard some wet noises coming from the direction of the bathroom. He had said he needed to throw up, but it seemed at the time like familiar delaying tactics that would stall his having to go to bed. Now, I knew better. he also did not quite make it to the bathroom, either, stopping only a few feet away, but still on the rug.

On Tuesday, it was the movie Avengers, something that I wrote a blog about just a couple of days or so ago. There were funny moments, and I enjoyed hearing his six year old laughter. A good memory, overall.

But yesterday, he and I spent some time together, and somehow or other, he wanted to learn how to whistle, and I managed to give him enough tips that he was successful! He had been lamenting that he was not able to do it, but finally managed it! I tickled him each time, which caused him to laugh, and also encouraged him, since he enjoys playing those types of games.

Later on, he wanted a piggy back ride, and so I gave him one, making sure to pause underneath a tree with some low lying branches, much to his amusement. He kept wanting more such rides, but Daddy felt surprisingly winded before too long.

All in all, a good and very memorable week full of memories made with my wonderful little son!

Rental Movie Review: Contraband

This is an exciting movie with a lot of plot turns and twists, that will keep you guessing and on your toes throughout.

            Mark Wahlberg plays Chris Farraday, an old drug smuggler who is trying to get out of the business and stay clear of the trouble it has brought him. But when he is forced to make one last deal to try and protect his brother-in-law from an all powerful drug lord, Chris is forced to use all his old tricks for one last deal to make enough money to ensure everyone's safety. He now has a family of his own, a wife and a daughter. When they are caught in the middle of the drug war culture, he takes whatever action he needs to keep his family, and his new life, safe.

            In the process, it illustrates his ingenuity and strong determination on both ends, in trying to subtly complete the drug deal, as well as to keep his wife and child safe – or at least as safe as possible, under the circumstances.

            It is a movie that illustrates human deception and treachery, and to good effect. Nothing is black and white, and there are surprise deceptions, and not always necessarily out of deceit or greed, either. You never know who is going to betray who next. For a movie like this, it effectively keeps the twists and turns going strong, and does it's job in this regard. It is also a very exciting and entertaining movie, as any good action/adventure should be.

            All in all, a fun movie, and a decent way to pass a couple of hours with someone, especially if you like action.