Click images for desktop size: "Reinventing The Wheel" I managed to replace the iMac's hard drive. It seems to be working pretty well. It still makes me nervous and starting to think about actually doing back-ups . . . or to at least think very seriously about doing back-ups . . . really seriously . . .
Noelle, the new foster puppy, is something more in need of fretting over. She's a warm loving little dog who has clearly been abused. She is terrified of almost everything. She wants to come see me and talk to me, she gets all wiggle butt when I come home but she has to work on overcoming her fear if I reach a hand out to her.
She and my puppy play well together. I like that. My puppy gets aggravated because Noelle doesn't understand the rules of the games she plays. Sometimes my puppy insists on playing with me instead of Noelle.
Animals are fascinating things. This morning I gave them chew toy treats. They were busy stealing each others . . .

As the Oscars approach I read a surprising article calling the original "Rocky" the most undeserving winner ever.
How odd.
I remember when the film came out. The buzz grew about people standing in the aisles and cheering at the big fight scene. Then the stories started to come out.
Written by and starring a guy with 2 film credits ("Lords Of Flatbush" and "Death Race 2000") Stallone had written a script. The studios wanted the story of the fighter but Stallone insisted he star in the film. The studios passed.
Now as Stallone was living with his mother and older brother walking away from $50,000 - $75,000 took some guts.
It took even more guts to take just $15,000 for the script and for his acting.
The producers figured on a little crowd pleaser like Phil Karlson's "Walking Tall" and figured that no actor could help or hurt the script. They hired John Avildsen to direct it. Avildsen's background was in porn.
(Okay, it was just a couple of soft core porn features but the story plays better if you just say porn)
The biggest name in the movie was Talia Shire, who was famous for being in her brother's "Godfather" films . . .
The film was a hit. A crowd pleaser. For some reason I've never grasped being a piece of art or music that a whole lot of people enjoy makes the work somehow "bad" in the rest of the world.
I thought the movie itself was all right. Stallone hadn't taken to calling himself a genius yet so it was easy to admire his guts. When the film won it pleased me.
It signified that there was a chance, a slim chance to get out there and make a big hit movie.
But the reason I figured it won was because it really is actors who hold sway on the final votes. I've met plenty of actors who are planning to do a "Stallone". They have a script and they want to star. They want to control their own destiny.
What's wrong with that?
I don't think "Rocky" was the worst film ever to win Best Picture. Even with what came afterwards.

I'm still recovering the hard drive and I still mark any day without pain with a white stone.
I'll continue with the 10 best list next.
I may duplicate some pictures as I try and sort out the artwork. I know the most important part are the pictures, the words are here just to make pretty frames.