2 days in a row...

Yes, I have some free time; it IS summer. With that said, I am sure some people are wondering what I am up to. So to appease all those who actually want to know, I am simply working and enjoying myself. Lately I have started birdwatching again. Thanks to my free time, I have been able to go a few times every week. Last Saturday I went to Deer Creek Reservoir. It is only a thirty minute drive up Provo Canyon. The south side of the reservoir is full of boats and people; so, I went to the other side. The birds there were pretty fun to watch. To my excitement I saw a flock of White-Faced Ibis as the flew away. Also, I enjoyed watching two different species of Warblers; the Yellow-Rumped Warbler and the Yellow Warbler. As far as water foul, there weren't many. Just the usual American Coot, Mallards, American White Pelicans, and some Western Grebes. The highlight however, was the sighting of not one, not two, but three Sandhill Cranes. I also saw a Great Egret which was pretty cool. They are enormous and beautiful birds. On Monday I decided to head over to Strawberry Reservoir. Most of the reservoir was still frozen. There were many areas that were not, but there was nothing too exciting (just some old guys fishing). However, as I was hiking trying to get a better view of some birds I saw in the distance I stumbled upon a few Turkey Vultures. Because there were not many birds on the lake I went exploring. I took a dirt road and almost got my car stuck in some mud. But I continued and followed a tributary. Eventually I saw some elk, a beaver, a Mountain Bluebird, and a Northern Flicker. It was pretty relaxing to sit there and watch the beaver. By that time it was getting pretty late so I decided to go home. On my way back out I discovered to Great Blue Herons fishing in the same tributary. It was pretty sweet. Yes. I am Troy and I LIKE birdwatching. It is fun and therapeutic. I just wish I had my dad's camera to take some pictures... oh well. I took some pictures of the paisaje using my phone and posted them on facebook. That is about all I have been doing.

Ingmar Bergman

My last post probably came off as condescending. It was. However, I will avoid that route this time in favor of something more positive. If you are looking for me to give an update on myself, here it is: I am fine, 'Nuff said. The real reason I decided to post was to profess my growing admiration for Ingmar Bergman. I know, he didn't live the most wholesome life, but the man is a genius. I just finished his movie The Seventh Seal. Not long ago, I watched The Virgin Spring. In the German and Scandinavian Cinema class that I took a few semesters ago I also watched Fanny and Alexander, Persona, and Wild Strawberries. After viewing some of Bergman's films, I can definitely say he is one of my favorite directors (Fritz Lang in second and Lars von Trier in a distant third). There are many others that deserve praise, but I would prefer to focus on Ingmar. Really, if you haven't seen any of his movies you should start with either The Virgin Spring, The Seventh Seal, or Wild Strawberries. After having watched these movies, I added more of his movies to my queue on Netflix and moved them to the top of the list. I will be sure to enjoy Bergman's films for some time because only a few are available online. With that said, I hope you take this seriously and WATCH some of his films.