Arriving in my mail today was "Longmire: The Complete Fifth Season" on blu-ray. The "Longmire" season sets, which are produced by the Warner Archive Collection, feature gorgeous transfers illustrating the best the format has to offer (they are near reference quality, in my opinion). That fact means the scenic beauty of New Mexico (which fills in as Wyoming for the series) can be experienced in all its 1080p glory.
"Longmire" was canceled after its third season by A&E, then resurrected by streaming giant Netflix for three additional seasons (the sixth has yet to air). "Longmire" follows the exploits of Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor). The show is based on the bucolic book series by author Craig Johnson. I've had the opportunity to attend three of Johnson's book signings here in Omaha. It's worth your time to check out the book series and show.
Crossroads Mall holds a special place in my heart. My family moved two blocks north of the shopping center in 1982. We spent a considerable amount of time there during my formative years...buying books, record albums, electronics, toys, clothes, and all sundry things. Bridget and I window shopped and ate lunch at the mall when we were students at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in the 1990s. I even sold magazine subscriptions at a kiosk (for Nebraska Sports Magazine, my brother-in-law's employer at the time) during the 1995 holiday season. When the mall was remodeled in the late 1980s it became, for a time, the nicest mall in the city -- three large anchor tenants, a solid food court, and even a video arcade called "Jolly Time" (where I plunked copious numbers of quarters into the Galaga machine). As is too often the case in life, good things eventually come to an end, and a series of poor management decisions -- combined with changing demographics in the area -- doomed the mall (that had opened its doors in the 1960s) to a slow, painful death.
Target (one of the remaining anchor tenants) has walled itself off from the mall's interior, like a wary organism trying to protect itself from an aggressive disease.
The mall is host to peculiar places like the "Czech and Slovak Educational Center and Cultural Museum"... which features creepy dolls and accordians...
One of my favorite places to eat in the food court was "Philly Dilly" (which had a superb french dip sandwich and french fries)... now the court roped off and left to collect dust... This drone video (from 2013) shows the mall in all its melancholy glory:
I found one of my old 45 records while I was cleaning my office this afternoon. Back when I was a teenager, I lived in my parents' attic, and the previous owner had constructed a pretty cool audio setup with a turntable, reel-to-reel tape decks, tuner, and 4' x 4' custom-built speakers. As a result, I purchased a number of 45 rpm singles of popular artists — not knowing that the ability to buy vinyl singles at Musicland was soon to end. I'd love to see how Kenny Loggins's "Danger Zone" sounds, but Bridget told me last year I couldn't get a record player (even though it totally seems like something I should have in my A/V arsenal). Anyhow, I thought this was a neat find, and it reminded me how much I enjoyed collecting these little vinyl records. Previous post: "Book Review: 'Ready Player One' — Shall We Play A Game?"
