It has been weeks and weeks since I have written and I feel a slight sense of shame about that. The plan to write, the thoughts of writing, the intent was always there but the energy and the motivation were lacking. Plus, there isn't much to say most of the time that hasn't been said over and over and over, thus the blog gets so repetitive that I feel it's like a Merry-go-round, horses bobbing up and down but never getting anywhere, prancing in place, still-life in a circle again and again. Not that this blog is as lively or as colorful or as fun as a good Merry-go-round, but you get my drift.
A few things that I can talk about from the past couple of weeks:
Movies: I saw 2 movies in the theater and two on disc that deserve mention. "Eye in the Sky", which is now gone from theaters. Almost real-time, it's an intense view of a small military crew sitting in a room trying to decide when to blow up, with drones, a safe house where terrorists are hiding. The thing holding back the decision to activate the bomber drones is an innocent civilian that will no doubt be killed when the bomb hits. The fact that this is a child is even more egregious. The decision, to bomb or not bomb, is almost never in question but no one wants to be the person who, in essence, pushes the button. Very intense, not one wasted scene or word, excellent performances by the late Alan Rickman, Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul and others, you come away dazed by reality of the black soul of war and the stupidity of it and the necessity of it at the same time. Part of its brilliance is that you can see validity in both sides even when you don't want to.
"Hologram for the King" with Tom Hanks, based on the novel by Dave Eggers. This is a small, enjoyable movie, nothing too powerful here but it's always a pleasure to watch Hanks and the absurdity of different cultures bouncing off each other. No big Oscar winners here but I liked it.
"Inside Out" on disc. Pixar's animated movie of last year took me totally by surprise. It's all about feelings (personified rather well) and the interplay of our feelings and how that makes us who we are. Simplistic, yes, but done so well and, as one review put it, "it's the rare animated film that makes you feel smarter in the end." For me it evoked more than a few tears, and not because of the plight of the little girl but because of the understanding that sorrow and fear and anger all come together to help us be joyful and happy. I dare you to see it without at least getting a bit teary.
Books: A renegade novel "Dodgers" isn't about baseball but about gang members sent across the country to kill someone they don't know. Sounds cold and cruel, and in most ways it is. Funny at times as well, but in the end you are invested in these boys/men and you want their lives to be better. You stick around to see if that will happen. By Bill Beverly.
I am still trying to find the next Wonderful Novel, so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I read "The Mare" by Mary Gaitskill which was good but not great, ditto "Hold Still" by Lynn Steger Strong. And "High Mountains of Portugal" by Yann Martel, which has some very funny accounts of a guy driving through Portugal in 1904 in one of the first cars ever driven in that country, but still, it hasn't grabbed me. I want a grabber.
Food: nothing to report here. Lots of stir-fry veggies dishes but there's nothing more to say about that. Well, I will once again praise the smoked salmon at the Santa Rosa Fish Company, it's the best smoked salmon I have ever had, it will change your life. Eat it all by itself, on a cracker, put some on a salad, flake it into pasta with some peas and a little cream, it goes great with white wine and perfect with a nice Margarita.
Money: not enough of it. Like the above smoked salmon, there is never enough to make me satisfied.
Work is the same, I am very tired of this six day a week gig but we all have heard that before. The Very Elderly Mother is still old, getting frailer but that's life. It happens.
Cooper is now pawing at me to feed him, it's ten minutes past 5:00 and that's simply ten minutes late in his book.
More later. And how about that Stephen Curry! What's up with that unanimous MVP vote? The guy must be genuinely solid and a true nice guy.... no one gets every vote, but he did! That's amazing. I am meeting two guys from work at a bar in an hour to watch some of tonight's Warriors game. YAY.
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