Goals 2020 -- May Recap

A miracle happened!  After over six months of trying various things, seeking help on fora, using different computers hoping for different results, and generally being frustrated, I was able to recover the files on my flash drive.

It should be obvious how this relates to my goal of my goal of Clearing My Mind, Simplifying My Life -- I was not happy about the selection of this month's goal, but I sure am glad it's been accomplished!  Now I don't have to be stressed about it anymore.  Although I do need to find a new storage medium.

Shopgirl -- Take 2

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Shopgirl, although I know my mom and E liked it, so that was a good sign.  It was also a good sign that I'm predisposed to like anything Steve Martin does -- how can you not?  He's such a talented guy in so many fields!

I was not disappointed. That's not to say that it's an enduring work of classic literature, but it's entertaining, with two and a half well-drawn characters, stumbling through life, somewhat but not entirely directionless, trying to make human connections along the way.

And sometimes you just need something quick; a novella is perfect.

What I Watched -- The Social Network

I was not initially crazy about the idea of seeing this movie.  I'm not a Facebook fan (ha!), and have never had a Facebook page.  I find Mark Zuckerberg irritating and believe he is at best reckless and more likely a lying snake.

But I heard an interview with Jesse Eisenberg (who plays Mark in the movie, and was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars) on - of all things - Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, and he was really funny and self-depricating, so I decided to give it a shot, just in support of Jesse.  I also liked him in Adventureland and Zombieland, so why not?  He's like a sweet and not-quite-so-dopey version of Michael Cera (who I previously identified as a dope in this movie; I guess it's a good word for him.  I'd put him on a par with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character in (500) Days of Summer).

Anyway, just that interview with Jesse Eisenberg made me want to see The Social Network.  I feel no better about Mark Zuckerberg as a human now that I have seen it, but I did rather enjoy the viewing experience.  Two things really got me: first, all the shots of people rowing.  Love that!  Second, I was in college when Facebook exploded onto the scene, and it was strange to think about what was going on behind the scenes while all my friends were jumping on board.  Oh, and Andrew Garfield was great as Eduardo Saverin!

Bottom line: better than I expected.  I'm not mad at it, even if I am still mad at FB itself.

Movies -- A Recap -- Part V

After discovering the ability to search by actor, S went for one of his favorites -- Saoirse Ronan.  That led us to Violet & Daisy, which is a rather odd little film about a pair of teenage female killers for hire.  Not one of my favorites, although there are a few cute moments.







S picked out another Matt Damon movie for me, and we watched Behind the Candelabra.  It's the based-on-a-true-story tale of piano performer Liberace, and his tumultuous relationship with a forty-years-younger lover played by the aforementioned Mr. Damon.  I wasn't quite sure what to think of this one, in part because I know so little about Liberace.  Many of the scenes see way too over the top to be real, but he was a pretty colorful and flamboyant guy, so who knows?  The transformations of Michael Douglas and Matt Damon are impressive. 

Due to the current lack of a baseball season, we scratched the itch with The Natural.  Robert Redford stars in this cute story of an over-the-hill ball player finally getting his chance to shine.  My only complaint is the extremely abrupt ending.








The Sea of Trees is a bleak film, but not a dark one -- if such a thing is possible.  It's a meditation on regret, apologies, loss, remembrance.  It's also a real place in Japan, a haunted forest where people go to die.  There were some obvious editing errors, but it was nevertheless a thought-provoking look at the aforementioned, as well as marriage.






The Lobster is not one I would recommend.  It's an interesting premise -- single people are shipped off to a hotel where, if they do not find love within the prescribed time, they are turned into an animal of their choice.  It's a bit difficult to find unusual premises in movies these days.  (Have most of them been made already?)  That's why I find it especially disappointing when something novel just doesn't work out well.




I had not heard of The Danish Girl before we watched it.  I am a little surprised that I had not.  It is the loosely-true story of the relationship between two Danish artists in the early 20th century, and it is an investigation into gender fluidity and intimacy, devotion, love, and acceptance.  I was surprised by its sensitivity.  After seeing it, I was not surprised to learn that the lead actress, Alicia Vikander, won an Oscar for her performance (although she won it for best supporting actress -- was that commentary from the Academy?); I was a little bit surprised to realize that she played Ava in Ex Machina.  I also recognized Matthias Schoenaerts, but I can't figure out why.  Suite Francaise, perhaps?  (Despite not having blogged about it, I did actually see it.)

What I'm Reading Now -- Shopgirl

A few weeks back during one of our chats, K asked what our favorite classics were (however you define that).  We didn't get terribly far into the conversation before K was horrified -- horrified! -- to learn that I had never read The Great Gatsby.  K and I had another related conversation a week later about trying to find a "summer" classic.  The Great Gatsby, said she.

After finishing Truman and reading a book about a melancholy lady, I thought I needed something light and easy before delving into a deep, academic endeavor.  Mom had some suggestions, but none of them were books that I own, and I'm trying to get through some of what's already on my bookshelves.  She has read Shopgirl, and agreed that it would be good for the task of being a light interlude between more serious endeavors.

Plus, I love a good laugh.

Lands of Lost Borders -- Take 2

A very long time ago, I started reading Lands of Lost Borders.  I was partially finished with Truman but needed something I could read on the go.  I was looking for something to read in advance of my trip to Cambodia, to prepare me for the region (or at least as close as I could get to match my reading mood).  I downloaded this ebook from the library.  It seemed like a good pick because I was particularly missing bicycling at the time, and there didn't seem to be much competition for the one ebook license that the library had.

I didn't expect much from this book.  When it's a low bar, it's hard to disappoint.  I figured that this was going to be one of those "memoirs" written by a 23-year-old with no life experience to have memories of.  I was actually pleasantly surprised to learn that at least the author was well-educated and well-traveled.  Both lend some credibility to her writing.

Travel books can sometimes be difficult to read, which a "you really had to be there" sensibility.  This book does have some of that, but even when it does creep in, often I don't want to be in the places that the author and her friend found themselves.  Sometimes S and I recall our trip to Cambodia and some of the stranger things that happened -- such as being stopped at military checkpoints -- and wonder how things might have gone differently.  Many of the "you had to be there" passages feel like that, and I really would rather not know how they could have turned out differently.

(Minor spoilers.)  After this long bike ride the length of the Silk Road, I was expecting some sort of profound revelation.  My initially-low expectations must have been raised somewhat during the course of the reading, because I found myself disappointed that there were no revelations to be had.

One caution as regards the ebook version -- there is a map at the beginning of this book, and I love a good map or graphic.  But it is useless in the format I read it (on Overdrive), because I was unable to zoom in on it to make it into anything useful.

The Bookshop -- Take 2

The Bookshop was a quick read.  Some of this is probably ascribed to the comparison which I inevitably make to my recently-finished Truman.  But even trying to separate its lenght from that of the heftier Truman, I really did get through it in no time at all -- and I consider myself to be a slow reader.

It is a simple story.  A widow moves to a small town on the English coast, buys a long-vacant house, and opens a bookshop.  That's it.

What really had me hooked was the writing style.  I had never heard of Penelope Fitzgerald -- let along read any of her work -- prior to picking up The Bookshop.  I found her to be a brilliant writer. This slim volume is filled with small references to something first raised one page or 100 pages before, and thoughtful sentences and phrases that evoke a recognition of the people and places she's describing in such clever ways:

  -- "Perhaps her battle to establish herself in the Old House was over, or perhaps she had been wrong in thinking that one had taken place, or would ever take place.  But if she was not sure which of these alternatives she meant, the battle could hardly have been decisive."

  -- "Florence had noticed one or two eccentricities in herself lately, which might be the result of hard work, or of age, or of living alone.  When the letters came, for example, she often found herself wasting time looking at the postmarks and wondering whoever they could be from, instead of opening them in a sensible manner and finding out at once."

  -- "She did not know that morality is seldom a safe guide for human conduct."

  -- "While the church ceremony was still in progress, and Florence, without any expectation of customers, was slowly winding down the cash register, General Gamart came into the shop.  He stood for a moment blocking the light.  Then, evidently giving himself a command, he took three paces forward.  At first, that seemed to exhaust the whole enterprise."

And my favorite, which is also referenced in the introduction:

  -- "His fluid personality tested and stole into the weak places of others until it found it could settle down to its own advantage."

I do recommend reading the preface and introduction, which as I discussed with K, I often skip over.  The preface offered insight into this little-known author's career, and the introduction places this work in a bit of context vis a vis the rest of her canon. Apparently, somewhat hopeless heroines are a mainstay, so you should be prepared for that going in.

What a delight to find so much lovely text in so short a reading experience.  Plus, a few letters to boot.  What's not to love?  A bookshop, set in England, and a few epistolary pages tucked within?!  Reminds me a bit of one of my other short favorites.

Thoughts on a Quarantine

There is a lot of bad stuff going on out there.  People are sick, and dying.  People are losing jobs, and suffering corresponding losses of financial stability and the ability to afford medical care, just when they may need it most.

This post is not about those things.

Instead, it's about the emotions of isolation.

There are a multitude of scientific studies investigating the benefits that social contact can have on both mental and physical health.  (Here, here, and here are just a few links.)  Yesterday, there was a story on NPR about the spike in suicide rates which is expected to follow in the wake of COVID-19 -- as a consequence of many things, of which social isolation is only one.  Prior mental health issues, job loss and related financial struggles, illness, and relationship stresses obviously also play a role.  These are real and devastating consequences, and I don't intend to dismiss them.  But what I'm talking about here are the less acutely severe results of isolation, the more day-to-day issues of a relatively short-term isolation.

I am an introvert.  I have known for years that I am an introvert.  My Meyers-Briggs score is I = 19, E = 1.  (Is it even possible to get a 20-0 score?)  "But wait!," you may say.  "Aren't you always posting about the things you do all over town?"  Yes, that is true.  Though I typically enjoy loads of activities around town, I enjoy the activity, not necessarily the people there.  I would sooner go to a fancy dinner at the art museum where I am the only guest as go there with a Grand Hall full of strangers.  But unfortunately I don't have that kind of dough, so I put up with the strangers out of necessity.

Introverts have been getting more attention in recent years.  Prominent in raising that tide was Susan Cain's 2012 book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.  (Her TED talk, for the basics, is here.)  Someone gave me a copy of this book when it came out; I haven't read it yet, but I have been thinking about the difference between introverts and extroverts during the quarantine.  I am not the only one.  Google some of these keywords and you will finds loads of articles.

Initially, I did not know whether I would like working from home.  In many, but not all, ways, it turns out that I do.  Without a doubt, however, I am thrilled that -- for a period of time at least -- I was told I had to stay home, that I could not go out and interact with other people.  (Obviously, people were told this more or less forcefully depending on their particular state, county, or city, but I took it to the extreme by choice.)  What a relief to have a socially acceptable reason to refuse to see or speak to people!

In an article in The Guardian, one writer comments that she "can’t imagine what it would feel like to suddenly have to live life the other way round, with the government forcing me to socialise relentlessly."  Isn't that how we introverts live most of our lives -- forced to go to work and into the world and socialize with people even when we don't want to?  True, it's not the government forcing us, but basic everyday needs (like having a job to pay living expenses) and strong social norms sure do force us to behave in ways we don't like and aren't comfortable with.  So, for the moment at least, I am getting a little bit of perverse joy from all the extroverts out there complaining about being in isolation.  Finally!  You all know the sort of emotional turmoil we introverts deal with daily!

This all, of course, has limits.  I miss traveling, and much of our travel is to visit our families.  I miss them (you!).  If we travel for any other reason, it is usually to go do something fun and novel that we have not done before, to see the country and the world.  I miss that too.

But for the time being, I am happy to be quarantined for a bit longer, keeping to myself and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Thank you!

I'd like to give an shout out to my awesome sisters!

E sent a gift box from Changing Hands Bookstore, her local indie.

Though S and I are quite happy to be staying home, K sent us some masks from Amy Kuschel so we can be safer on those few occasions that we have to leave the house.

You gals are the best!!

Movies -- A Recap -- Part IV

We, like everyone else, have been making maximum use of our streaming services lately.  Here are a few more of our selections, with my brief commentary.

S found XV: Beyond the Tryline, which is a documentary about the 2015 World Cup rugby tournament.  I love any rugby movie and anything having to do with England, so this was bound to be a hit.  My biggest complaint was having to see the unfortunate choices Johnny Wilkinson has made with his facial hair since he was the ass-kicking English fly half back in the 2000s (there are some excellent dump tackles at 9:30 and 10:50 of the video, but the whole thing is full of amazing shots of a truly spectacular playmaker).

Everyone love a good romantic comedy.  Love Wedding Repeat is not great.  But it is at least clever, and earned a few giggles.










We got on a kick of searching out 80s and 90s films, starting with Philadelphia.  Tom Hanks plays an attorney who is fired when the partners discover he has AIDS.  He sues his law firm, and the court battle makes the rest of the movie.  [Spoilers follow!] In terms of present-day connections, there is a hospital scene in the movie where Tom Hanks's character is surrounded by his loving family.  It made me think of the patients who are sick with COVID-19, in isolation units, who cannot be visited by their family and friends.  Some of the most tragic stories I have heard during the pandemic are these.

 

Philadelphia was followed by The Rainmaker, which we found when S discovered that you could search by actor.  Of course he searched for my boyfriend, Matt Damon.  It just happened to be another lawyer movie -- this time, the brand new puppy shark goes after the big insurance company, with a terrible love story on the side.






The third movie in our "oldie but hopefully goodie" trio was Urban Cowboy.  Holy cow (pun intended), there are a lot of very unfortunate things that happen in this movie which are passed off as though they are nothing -- not least of which is John Travolta's belief that his physical abuse of his wife is somehow less repulsive than her boyfriend's abuse of her...?  But, if you can look past all the 40-year-old, out-of-date cliches, it is certainly not the worst movie we have seen of late.



We moved into the current era with Catfish, a movie fully about the creepiness of both the internet and people. There are definitely no innocent characters in this movie, and I was pretty unhappy with everyone in it by about halfway through -- and it didn't change by the end.

One of George Clooney's surprisingly recent movies, Hail, Caesar! also made it onto the list.  I say "surprisingly recent," because I hadn't heard of it.  That initially seemed somewhat surprising -- it's a Coen brothers film with a star-studded cast.  Having now seen it, I know why.  It's a commentary on Hollywood and the Red Scare, but not a particularly clever one.

I am not a fan of horror movies.  Nevertheless, both S and I had heard good things about 1922, so we gave it a go.  First off, I will say that it is not what I would consider a horror movie.  There are a few cheap, horror-type scare tactics, but for the most part I found it to be more of a psychological exploration of a man coming apart.  Pretty interesting.

With all the cooking we are doing, I've been digging anything having to do with cooking.  East Side Sushi was a great find -- a cute, sweet story mixed with the right amount of devotion to food.  In some ways, it reminded me of Tortilla Soup, which has long been a favorite.

Happy Mother's Day!

Truman -- Take 2

On what would be Truman's 136th birthday, I'm announcing that I finally finished reading Truman!  Can you believe it?  I started it (the first time) so many years ago now that I don't even remember when it was.  (According to my own blog's history, it looks like I started it slightly over 5 years ago.)

Initially, I started it as a paper book.  I only got about 30 pages in before getting bored with the early history of the Truman family and giving up.  A year or two later, I gave it a second go, again on paper, and got about halfway through.  I then switched to the ebook (when I could get it from the library; I was alternating their apparently only license with someone else) so that I wouldn't have to carry the book around; it's not mine and I didn't want to damage it too badly, not to mention that it weighs about 30 pounds.  I alternated between paper and ebook until one spring -- 2018? 2019? -- when I needed to work outside so I went hunting for an audiobook.  The only version I could find was abridged, but I went for it.  I finished that some time ago, but still didn't feel quite right not getting the whole story.  (My reading travails with this book are recounted here, here, here, here, here, and here.  Yes, it has been an ordeal.)

So, these many years later, and since I'm home and not going many places, I flipped back to the paper book, picking up where I had left off before the audiobook, and finished it out last Sunday, enjoying a lovely morning and mug of tea al fresco.

My elongated reading experience can be ascribed at least partially to the length of the book, but should not be interpreted as a negative review thereof.  I also had limited reading time until recently, and the time that I had was before bed.  You all know how that goes: read a page or two, realize you're falling asleep and have no idea what you just read.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

I found the material to be interesting overall.  Personally I was more interested in the world history than the political history, but the picture McCullough paints of Truman as such an energetic campaigner and responsible leader made me care about the political portions as well.  Having said that, McCullough has been accused of become overly infatuated with his subjects.  The same could probably be said of Harry Truman.  There are very few critical passages any longer than a sentence or two, and Truman certainly wasn't loved by everyone.  For example, McCullough does acknowledge that his approval ratings were at a low ebb near the end of his presidency, due in large part to the ongoing Korean war, but immediately turns to the recovery of his popularity once he was out of office.

At least as far as the positive aspects of Truman's history goes, the book is thorough.  I can't imagine what a massive research undertaking it must have been.  Often those big projects turn into dry-as-a-bone recitation of the past, but I did not find Truman to be that way at all.  Once I was able to devote the time to it, to really sit down and get comfortable, I found it quite readable and not dry in the least.  Nine hundred and ninety-two pages later, I have a much greater appreciation for the foresight and leadership of the "little man from Missouri."

What I'm Reading Now -- The Bookshop

I picked up The Bookshop on a pre-Christmas browsing trip through the mall with L.  We were waiting for S and Z to have their annual Santa picture taken and just killing time, before the now-annual post-picture dinner.  We popped into the bookstore (of course).  I found this and L found a book about knitting sweaters for small dogs -- catnip for both of us, so to speak.  I didn't know anything about Penelope Fitzgerald but have come to realize she was quite an accomplished author, at least in Britain.  Her works seem to be less popular in the US, but I'm giving her a try.

Art and Music

We can't enjoy art or in public right now.  But I did get to take in a lot of it in the last several month which never made it onto my blog.  Here are a few wonderful things to reminisce about -- and look forward to next year!

SLSO
We had a wonderful symphony season.  We went to a hodgepodge of shows -- a collection we built for ourselves -- but it turned out that they were a really great collection.  Hope you can enjoy some of the title pieces as well!

Saint-Saens, Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78
Rachmaninoff, Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty Suite, Op. 66
Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19
Schubert, Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, D. 485
Ravel, Bolero

Our final show, Beethoven's Fourth Symphony, was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Art in Bloom
My favorite annual SLAM event is Art in Bloom, which happens late every winter, just when I'm completely ready for springtime and flowers.

It's funny how, over the years, you can see different trends in the flowers.  Like fashion, I guess.  This year, the designs tended towards more realistic representations, rather than some of the abstractions or color-matching of years past.  Here are a few of my favorites:

  

My big winner of the day was this:

It's hard to get more matchy-matchy than that!

Goals 2020 -- May Edition

Against my wishes, I have been outvoted in my May goal.  I have a flash drive that needs some attention and definitely some TLC to sort out its corrupted files.  I left S, K, and E in charge of selecting my monthly goal, and this is the choice.

"Ours is not to reason why..."