Back on Track

TRAINING DAY: We're hoping things get back to 'normal' here at MPA pretty soon. It's been a whirlwind of out-of-the ordinary activity, that's for sure.  Between December 25 and January 3, I only slept in my own bed once. 

On Christmas day, we headed down to Bend, Oregon, and stayed there for three nights. One of the things we did while there was go see a cool train display. I'll have Annabelle tell you a bit more about that. 

Every year, Deschutes Public Library in Bend, Oregon, hosts an event spanning the week of Christmas. Michael Lavrich, better known locally as "The Train Man," uses the library's conference room to set up an impressive display of model trains. He's been bringing his trains to the library for 18 years, and collecting them since he was 50 - meaning multiple generations have had the joy of seeing the trains. 

As a former kindergarten teacher, Lavrich finds joy in bringing smiles to the faces of the kids that visit. According to his page on the Deschutes Library website, he enjoys controlling the train on the outer track the most since he can slow it down or stop it in front of the most intrigued children. While the trains have to take occasional 5-minute breaks so they can cool down, traffic through the room produces a line all the way out the door.

The Train Man has become a staple of Christmas in the Bend area, and for good reason! The event is totally free, as long as you're willing to wait in line. It only lasts one week, from December 21st to the 28th, so catch it while you can if you're in the Bend area!

As Annabelle mentioned, we did have to wait in line to get in to see the display.  We waited about 20 minutes, I'd estimate. The good news is, when you're in line at the library, there is plenty to keep you entertained!

We were fortunate that during our time around the display, it included a break where the conductor shared some factoids with the crowd. CJ can tell you more about some of the things we learned. ...

The first full-scale steam locomotive is often considered to have involved Richard Trevithick's steam engine, which, on 21 February 1804, powered a train along a tramway in what is now the United Kingdom.

According to Michael Lavrich, model trains might predate "the real deal," in the sense that they existed before actual, full-scale locomotives did.

Lavrich told us that, about once an hour, model trains need to "cool down" for a period of about five minutes. Lavrich used this time to tell us information about the model trains.

Last year's model train event marked the nineteenth year in a row that Lavrich has displayed his trains at the library. According to the Deschutes Public Library website, this means that kids who saw the first train events might have children of their own by now.

The train display takes about four days to set up and four days to take down. According to Lavrich, this means that the train display basically takes up most of his December.

There were so many little details to look at. The train community's inhabitants were a varied lot, everything from holiday icons to historic figures, cartoon and movie characters to 'regular' town folk. 

 You can check out a time-lapse video of the scene being set up here:

Of Spiders and Grunge

MATINEE: One of the activities on our recent trip to Bend was CJ and Annabelle were treated to an afternoon matinee with Nonnie. They chose to check out the new Spider-Man movie.  Following is Annabelle's review of the movie. ...

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a stellarly animated movie focusing on Miles Morales, a young teen who has to become the successor to his universe's Spider-Man after said hero's death. The bad news for Miles is that Spider-Man got mixed up in a dimensional portal just moments before his death, which caused Spider-Man's equivalents from 5 other parallel dimensions to be sucked into the main one. Between his newfound powers, other Spider-Men, and the dimensional portal now threatening the city, Miles must learn how to harness his new powers quickly and get the others home. 

The movie features some of the most stunning animation I've ever seen in movies. It's an expert blend between 3d and 2d, using a lower framerate to further it's "comic book coming to life" feel. It uses Ben-Day dots, which are usually associated with pop art, for most of its visual effects and shading. 

This movie, in terms of plot execution and visual style, is a huge step from Sony Picture's last animated film; the near-universally hated Emoji Movie. As of now, it's "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 97% approval rating. The movie still hasn't made much profit in the theater, so I strongly urge any fan of superhero movies - and even non-fans - to go see it while it's running. The only warning I can think of is the fact that much of the intro, some plot elements, and the outro include flashing lights which may strain some people's eyes. If this doesn't bother you, it's a must-watch.

Here's a trailer for the movie. ... 


MAKING A LIST:  Recently, CJ took it upon himself to come up with a list of his favorite grunge albums for each year between 1985 and now. He does share it with a little caveat, however, noting, "some of these were reluctant choices, e.g. Stone Temple Pilot's No. 4 and Shangri-La Dee Da (which are almost post-grunge albums)."

1985: Green River — Come On Down

1986: Melvins — Six Songs

1987: Melvins — Gluey Porch Treatments

1988: Mudhoney — Superfuzz Bigmuff

1989: Nirvana — Bleach

1990: Alice in Chains (AiC) — Facelift

1991: Nirvana — Nevermind

1992: Nirvana — Incesticide

1993: Nirvana — In Utero

1994: Nirvana — MTV Unplugged in New York

1995: AiC — Alice in Chains

1996: Nirvana — From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah

1997: Melvins — Honky

1998: Jerry Cantrell — Boggy Depot

1999: Stone Temple Pilots (STP) — No. 4

2000: AiC — Live

2001: STP — Shangri-La Dee Da

2002: Jerry Cantrell — Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2

2003: Pearl Jam — Lost Dogs

2004: Nirvana — With the Lights Out

2005: Nirvana — Sliver: The Best of the Box

2006: Pearl Jam — Pearl Jam

2007: Pearl Jam — Live at the Gorge 05/06

2008: Mudhoney — The Lucky Ones

2009: Nirvana — Live at Reading

2010: STP — Stone Temple Pilots

2011: Soundgarden — Live on I-5

2012: Soundgarden — King Animal

2013: AiC — The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

2014: Soundgarden — Echo of Miles

2015: Kurt Cobain — Montage of Heck

2016: Mother Love Bone — On Earth As It Is

2017: Pearl Jam — Let's Play Two

2018: AiC — Rainier Fog

Around the Bend

LAST ONE STANDING: We recently spent a little time in Bend, Oregon. During our short visit, we were able to see and do a number of fun things. For CJ, the pinnacle of the sightseeing involved visiting the last Blockbuster video store in America.  

I would think nearly anyone who lived during the boom of the VHS era would have a Blockbuster memory - or many memories. I certainly remember heading into the stores, hoping that a copy of the biggest, newest release would be waiting on the shelves for me.  Also, in the days of CJ's big brothers' childhoods, Blockbuster (and other stores) provided hours of kid-friendly entertainment. (Keep in mind, this was back before there were dozens and dozens of cable channels with programming to choose from.)

CJ would be happy to tell you more about the Blockbuster story. ...

Blockbuster is/was a chain of film and video game rental stores (and later, an online video rental service) that, throughout the 90s and 00s, was synonymous with movie night for countless people and families throughout the developed world (particularly in the United States and Australia.) 

Since reaching its peak in 2004 (and making the decision to end late fees at the end of said year,) Blockbuster has been on a gradual decline, managing to go from Goliath to David within the course of about a half-decade. This was largely due to the rise of online movie and TV streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu (and, to a lesser extent, the presence of video rental kiosks such as Redbox.) 

In late 2013 and early 2014, the last of the corporate-owned Blockbusters were closed, and, over the course of the next four years, fifty more franchised Blockbusters across the United States were closed, thus leaving only one, in Bend, Oregon (where I'm writing this report.) 

The Bend Blockbuster (or, as it is sometimes known, "Bendbuster") has become a tourist attraction, largely due to its nostalgia and novelty. If or when Bendbuster closes, it will end the era of American Blockbuster stores, and possibly Blockbuster stores period.

A poster in the Bend store let us know a documentary about the last Blockbuster is in the works. We look forward to checking it out (but not from a Blockbuster store!). 

The Bend Blockbuster was festive for the holidays. There was even a little Blockbuster tree.

In a smart marketing move, the store has merchandise. 

CJ was most pleased to come away with a t-shirt.