The trailer for X-Men Days of Future Past dropped recently, and it's shaping up to be a merry Marvel mutant epic. See it here for yourself! (Check to Wolverine poster ... Logan ages into Clint Eastwood!)
Thursday, October 31, 2013
X-Men Days Of Future Past Trailer: Marvel's Mutant Melange
The trailer for X-Men Days of Future Past dropped recently, and it's shaping up to be a merry Marvel mutant epic. See it here for yourself! (Check to Wolverine poster ... Logan ages into Clint Eastwood!)
Monday, October 28, 2013
Marvel's Captain America The Winter Soldier Trailer Hints At A Cold Warrior
The trailer for Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier dropped recently, and it appears to take a darker look at Cap's involvement with SHIELD. As Cap clashes with Nick Fury we can detect hints of a conspiracy brewing within the super spy organization. So who better to portray the big kahuna of SHIELD (and apparently Fury's superior) than Robert Redford, who starred in Three Days of the Condor, one of the all time great conspiracy thrillers. (Click here for an interview with Redford that might reveal a SPOILER)
Redford's casting brings some gravitas to the screen and manages to ground Cap in a more politically charged espionage role; one in which he may have to choose between the Company's agenda and following his own instincts. If nothing else, the addition of Redford infuses this Captain America sequel with enough star power to rival that of Marvel's The Avengers. Along with Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Cap, Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) reprise their Avengers roles, while Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) makes his debut as The Falcon.
Other things to look for in the trailer: A new variation on Cap's costume, a hellacious display of hand-to-hand combat inside an elevator, a SHIELD Heli-carrier taking a massive swan dive, and the return of Bucky Barnes.
Marvel's Captain America The Winter Soldier opens April 4, 2014.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Grand Canyon Definitely Reopens (for a Week -- Maybe) During Government Shutdown
So the good news is, the park has reopened during the government shutdown. The bad news is, the park may only stay open for a week. Read the link here which explains how the GC and some other national parks and landmarks have found a way to reopen in the midst of this political deadlock. Most of the deals involve the individual states coughing up the cash to the feds in order to make this happen. Kind of makes you wonder if the individual states shouldn't run their own parks systems.
But enough of that fluff. What you really want to know is: How do these events affect Your Humble Narrator? Well, as of this writing, I've received no word as to my (re) employment status. Understand, too that my base of operations (El Tovar) won't reopen until this evening. I usually operate the banquets for the tour buses (most often from Caravan Tours) that roll through the park; as of yet there's no word on when they might be arriving).
.
In the meantime, I guess YHN will content himself with video games and, ah ... various forms of adult entertainment.
But enough of that fluff. What you really want to know is: How do these events affect Your Humble Narrator? Well, as of this writing, I've received no word as to my (re) employment status. Understand, too that my base of operations (El Tovar) won't reopen until this evening. I usually operate the banquets for the tour buses (most often from Caravan Tours) that roll through the park; as of yet there's no word on when they might be arriving).
 |
| It's a long road ... is there an end in sight? |
In the meantime, I guess YHN will content himself with video games and, ah ... various forms of adult entertainment.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Holding Up During A Government Shutdown
So you've no doubt heard all about the federal government shutdown. Yes, there are far-ranging effects and impacts that will ripple out from the deadlock in DC. Naturally, the most important question you're asking yourself is How, exactly, does all this affect Your Humble Narrator? Well, read on and I'll try to give you some insights into life in a national park during a government shutdown.
Realize this is my first experience of being directly affected by the gears of government grinding to a halt (and being caught in the gear teeth). In the past I had always joked, "Hell, even if there is a government shutdown ... how can you tell the difference?" Realize, too, that the Grand Canyon is more than a mere national park ... It's considered on of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. As such, the GC receives on average approximately 5 million visitors annually. As you'd expect all those visitors generate a lot of noise and traffic; indeed, the clots of tourists jamming the narrow sidewalks and crowding the cafeterias, restaurants and buses can become downright frustrating.
So the second thing you notice upon park closure is the sudden quiet that falls over the area. Once guests were barred from entering, the GC and its small community (GC Village) quickly resembles a ghost town. The sidewalks are bare. The shuttle buses have stopped running, leaving only sparse local traffic on the roads. The majority of restaurants, gift shops and other businesses have been shuttered. And because of the sudden quiet, the deer, elk and other creatures native are less shy about moving about the park. Kind of ironic in that all these animals are on display and there's no visitors here to see them!
By the way, the first thing you notice is the sense of disbelief among the employees that the GC was actually closed for business. I doubt anyone here seriously expected the government shutdown to occur. (As one co-worker eloquently stated: "There's no way they'll shut this f**kin' park!" Well, live and learn.) So it's taken a few days for the realization to settle in. And that begs the question. How are we settling in?
The first day of closure (Wednesday October 2) actually occurred on a payday. So for the first night there was a lot of partying. Regular readers of this blog -- both of them -- might recall the circumstance in which most of us workers live: In dorms, usually two in a room with communal bath and showers. While the housing provided by our employer Xanterra are certainly cost efficient, it also presents its share of challenges ... you might say you get what you pay for.
A quick recap on the subject: I've never been a fan of roommates to begin with. Many of your dorm mates tend to be, unkind as it may sound, challenged either physically or mentally. There is a lot of alcoholism and drug abuse in the dorms. Many of the workers are culled from the streets (as in homeless) and often bring their unhygienic habits and oddball behaviors with them. Because of this, bedbugs are rampant in the dorms, along with a lot of shouting and yelling (usually an outgrowth of these guys talking to themselves) Many of these people have difficulty with the English language, either because of speech impediments or too many missing teeth.
So back to that first day. A lot of these guys blew their paychecks on booze and other illegal substances, which kept them partying until the wee hours. I that heard a few fights broke out and National Park Service rangers had to be called (a common occurrence -- at least the rangers are still on the clock) The following nights have gotten quieter; I expect many of the partyers are running low on cash as so many of them seem to live paycheck to paycheck ... and there are no cash loan companies up here.
On Thursday (October 3), Xanterra took a neighborly step in announcing free meals for its employees (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and suspending dorm rent for three weeks. The meals are served in one central location (Maswik Cafeteria) as other facilities have been closed. It's over a mile away from where my dorm is located but the weather is brisk and clear these days and I don't mind walking. Besides, it's free food, right? I've tried to take as much advantage as possible of the offer. (Interestingly, I've heard complaints from co-workers about the limited menu and lack of 'acceptable substitutes' available. I reiterate: it's free food. Besides, they set up free wi-fi and resumed limited shuttle service for employees.
The cafeteria was packed the first couple days but attendance seems to be falling; maybe the novelty is fading or people are getting tired of the food. Or it could be that people are just getting antsy at having to adjust to a strange reality: Trapped in a limbo of being out of work while still being employed. Along that line, there was a recent meeting about how to file for Arizona unemployment benefits if the shutdown keeps dragging on.
If you remember the 1978 film "Days of Heaven", one of the characters remarked that she's "been thinking what to do wit' (her) future". I think that quote applies to many of us here in the GC. Particularly as this federal impasse persists, I'm examining my options. While many here pass the time arguing about who's to blame (Republicans, Democrats, etc.) it's all a moot point in my opinion. The fact is, Your Humble Narrator is losing money every day and, frankly, misses the routine of going to work. If nothing else he has discovered how important a regular routine is.
What happens in a closed community like this is that you tend to see the same faces over and over. That happens even when things are operating normally. Now, with the majority of hourly workers left with nothing to do and nowhere to go, those faces are in your face constantly. You see them in the cafeteria, in the dorm, in the rec center, and so on. Apply this to dealing with those *ahem* eccentric dorm-mates I earlier mention and you can connect the dots: Familiarity breeds the utmost contempt.
The free food/free rent deal is good for three weeks. I asked one of my managers what happens if the government shutdown goes on longer than three weeks. "Then they start laying off managers" was the reply, and that's bad news for hourly employees. Only essential services and workers would remain, and that would likely be comprised of skeleton crews. Hopefully, there'll be some progress in reopening the national parks and we can all get back to work.
For now, there's a lot of people holding their breath because they've got families to feed and bills to pay. About the only thing that's certain right now is that despite how events turn out, the Grand Canyon will still be here. At least you can count on that.
Unless the government shuts it down ...
Realize this is my first experience of being directly affected by the gears of government grinding to a halt (and being caught in the gear teeth). In the past I had always joked, "Hell, even if there is a government shutdown ... how can you tell the difference?" Realize, too, that the Grand Canyon is more than a mere national park ... It's considered on of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. As such, the GC receives on average approximately 5 million visitors annually. As you'd expect all those visitors generate a lot of noise and traffic; indeed, the clots of tourists jamming the narrow sidewalks and crowding the cafeterias, restaurants and buses can become downright frustrating.
So the second thing you notice upon park closure is the sudden quiet that falls over the area. Once guests were barred from entering, the GC and its small community (GC Village) quickly resembles a ghost town. The sidewalks are bare. The shuttle buses have stopped running, leaving only sparse local traffic on the roads. The majority of restaurants, gift shops and other businesses have been shuttered. And because of the sudden quiet, the deer, elk and other creatures native are less shy about moving about the park. Kind of ironic in that all these animals are on display and there's no visitors here to see them!
 |
| Sign(s) of the times |
By the way, the first thing you notice is the sense of disbelief among the employees that the GC was actually closed for business. I doubt anyone here seriously expected the government shutdown to occur. (As one co-worker eloquently stated: "There's no way they'll shut this f**kin' park!" Well, live and learn.) So it's taken a few days for the realization to settle in. And that begs the question. How are we settling in?
The first day of closure (Wednesday October 2) actually occurred on a payday. So for the first night there was a lot of partying. Regular readers of this blog -- both of them -- might recall the circumstance in which most of us workers live: In dorms, usually two in a room with communal bath and showers. While the housing provided by our employer Xanterra are certainly cost efficient, it also presents its share of challenges ... you might say you get what you pay for.
A quick recap on the subject: I've never been a fan of roommates to begin with. Many of your dorm mates tend to be, unkind as it may sound, challenged either physically or mentally. There is a lot of alcoholism and drug abuse in the dorms. Many of the workers are culled from the streets (as in homeless) and often bring their unhygienic habits and oddball behaviors with them. Because of this, bedbugs are rampant in the dorms, along with a lot of shouting and yelling (usually an outgrowth of these guys talking to themselves) Many of these people have difficulty with the English language, either because of speech impediments or too many missing teeth.
 |
| This portion of the South Rim Trail is usually packed with visitors |
So back to that first day. A lot of these guys blew their paychecks on booze and other illegal substances, which kept them partying until the wee hours. I that heard a few fights broke out and National Park Service rangers had to be called (a common occurrence -- at least the rangers are still on the clock) The following nights have gotten quieter; I expect many of the partyers are running low on cash as so many of them seem to live paycheck to paycheck ... and there are no cash loan companies up here.
On Thursday (October 3), Xanterra took a neighborly step in announcing free meals for its employees (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and suspending dorm rent for three weeks. The meals are served in one central location (Maswik Cafeteria) as other facilities have been closed. It's over a mile away from where my dorm is located but the weather is brisk and clear these days and I don't mind walking. Besides, it's free food, right? I've tried to take as much advantage as possible of the offer. (Interestingly, I've heard complaints from co-workers about the limited menu and lack of 'acceptable substitutes' available. I reiterate: it's free food. Besides, they set up free wi-fi and resumed limited shuttle service for employees.
The cafeteria was packed the first couple days but attendance seems to be falling; maybe the novelty is fading or people are getting tired of the food. Or it could be that people are just getting antsy at having to adjust to a strange reality: Trapped in a limbo of being out of work while still being employed. Along that line, there was a recent meeting about how to file for Arizona unemployment benefits if the shutdown keeps dragging on.
 |
| Your Humble Narrator seems to be a bit lonely these days |
If you remember the 1978 film "Days of Heaven", one of the characters remarked that she's "been thinking what to do wit' (her) future". I think that quote applies to many of us here in the GC. Particularly as this federal impasse persists, I'm examining my options. While many here pass the time arguing about who's to blame (Republicans, Democrats, etc.) it's all a moot point in my opinion. The fact is, Your Humble Narrator is losing money every day and, frankly, misses the routine of going to work. If nothing else he has discovered how important a regular routine is.
What happens in a closed community like this is that you tend to see the same faces over and over. That happens even when things are operating normally. Now, with the majority of hourly workers left with nothing to do and nowhere to go, those faces are in your face constantly. You see them in the cafeteria, in the dorm, in the rec center, and so on. Apply this to dealing with those *ahem* eccentric dorm-mates I earlier mention and you can connect the dots: Familiarity breeds the utmost contempt.
 |
| Hopefully there's some brighter days ahead! |
The free food/free rent deal is good for three weeks. I asked one of my managers what happens if the government shutdown goes on longer than three weeks. "Then they start laying off managers" was the reply, and that's bad news for hourly employees. Only essential services and workers would remain, and that would likely be comprised of skeleton crews. Hopefully, there'll be some progress in reopening the national parks and we can all get back to work.
For now, there's a lot of people holding their breath because they've got families to feed and bills to pay. About the only thing that's certain right now is that despite how events turn out, the Grand Canyon will still be here. At least you can count on that.
Unless the government shuts it down ...
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