Author Archives: Robert K Stephen (CSW)

RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: Museums and the Big Box Office Draw

“Museums want the real deal, but they also want the flash of the celebrity name. They are better off with a small handful of renowned pieces, rather than rooms full of excellent examples of little-known artists. Your average public would flock to an exhibition that consisted solely of Whistler’s Mother before they would grudgingly attendContinue reading “RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: Museums and the Big Box Office Draw”

“Travels to a Different Time”: March 2004: Puntarenas Costa Rica: The Shuttle Bus into Liberia

The hotel description stated there was shuttle service into the town of Liberia. Nothing was stated whether it was complimentary or if there was a charge for using the shuttle service. The trip was 50 minutes and a return trip cost the four of us $80USD. Part of the trip was the road we tookContinue reading ““Travels to a Different Time”: March 2004: Puntarenas Costa Rica: The Shuttle Bus into Liberia”

RKS Literature: Passage of the Day; Bureaucracy at the Ministry!

“You can feel the bureaucratic atmosphere of the Ministry as soon as you enter the hall. The place is infused with the threat of large numbers of people in hiding. Everyone is studiously dedicating themselves to ignoring what you want. Backs are turned as soon as they perceive you are a stranger and might askContinue reading “RKS Literature: Passage of the Day; Bureaucracy at the Ministry!”

“Travels to a Different Time” : 15March2004: Puntarenas, Costa Rica: The Fateful Glass of Water and the “Lucky Lady”

As a North American we are always on alert about European water! It’ll kill you if you are not careful. The food might kill you too so eat at McDonald’s in Paris every night! On a trip to Mexico I had a vicious crippling attack of Montezuma’s that I could only wish on my worstContinue reading ““Travels to a Different Time” : 15March2004: Puntarenas, Costa Rica: The Fateful Glass of Water and the “Lucky Lady””

“Travels to a Different Time” : 15March2004: Welcome to Costa Rica

There are few advantages of having been victimized with a seat at the extreme back end of the plane next to the WC. However with those vacuum powered flushes ringing in my ear goodness me the plane deplaned at the rear making for my quick escape. The airport at Liberia is tiny with only twoContinue reading ““Travels to a Different Time” : 15March2004: Welcome to Costa Rica”

RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: The Ritual Authority of a Holster

“Wearing a holster gave you the ritual edge in authority. Even in spite of their training and the weeks apart spent establishing their rank through punishing drills and endless parades, the officers were vey young and most of them slimly built compared to the veterans of lumber camps and railroad gangs. In the end, itContinue reading “RKS Literature: Passage of the Day: The Ritual Authority of a Holster”

RKS Wine: 2021 Plan de Dieu Côtes-du-Rhône Villages

The Plan de Dieu Côtes-du-Rhône Villages has rich aromas of hulled ripe strawberries, black cherry and bright spice buffed up by a tad of root beer. Tannins are moderate. The flavour is intense and rich perhaps too rich and power laden to be a good sipper. Loads of ripe strawberries which are at their peakContinue reading “RKS Wine: 2021 Plan de Dieu Côtes-du-Rhône Villages”

“Travels to a Different Time”: 15March2004: Getting to Costa Rica from Toronto

Up at 03:00 for an early morning flight. Insane. Andrew, highly motivated was up in in a flash ready to go. The limo arrived 7 minutes early which is much better than 25 minutes early. Due to an ice storm the driver reused to climb the icy steps for the bags. I managed to throwContinue reading ““Travels to a Different Time”: 15March2004: Getting to Costa Rica from Toronto”

RKS Literature: Timothy Findley’s “The Wars”: Kill Training

“What he wanted was a model. Someone who could teach him, by example, how to kill. Robert had never aimed a gun at anything. It was a foreign state of mind. So what he wanted was someone else who had acquired that state of mind: who killed as an exercise of the will “ TimothyContinue reading “RKS Literature: Timothy Findley’s “The Wars”: Kill Training”

RKS Film: “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry”: Initially a Cheesy Romantic Feel-Good All-Over Film Pulls Itself up from its Bootstraps to Possibly Reach Epic Proportions?

“The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry” initially canters on for 30 minutes being a cute feel-good Harlequinesque romance and then darkens quickly and becomes haunted by tragedy, jealousy, infidelity and a whole host of evil vibes. But through this transition from light and fluffy in the immediate moments it spans over a decade. YouContinue reading “RKS Film: “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry”: Initially a Cheesy Romantic Feel-Good All-Over Film Pulls Itself up from its Bootstraps to Possibly Reach Epic Proportions?”