Goals 2020 -- June Recap

I can't say June was a total bust, because I at least got a start on the estate planning process.  But to be fair, it's an itsy bitsy teensy weensy start.  Nevertheless, a start!

Quote of the Day

"Courage doesn't always roar.  Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'"
  -- Mary Anne Rademacher

Happy Birthday K!

It's a big one!!

A Rugby Celebration

S and I have taken time this quarantine, and even in the months before, to appreciate rugby.

It all started last year, when we attended Ruggerfest in Forest Park, just for the fun of it.  It was a beautiful day, we took camp chairs and drinks, ate at the food trucks, took in some sport, and generally enjoyed the day out in the world in a way that we haven't been able to in a while.  It was all capped off by an invitation to join the teams for a post-tourney party at the Sunday Morning Rugby Club's clubhouse.  (And a dead alternator at 11 p.m., but that's a story for another day.)

That was followed by a trip to Lindenwood to see the St. Louis Sabres crush the Lindenwood Lions.  It was chilly, but nevertheless fun.  And holy cow do they get to play in a nice stadium!  Lights, announcer, the whole bit.

S then stumbled upon the movie Invictus, when searching for movies for me to watch starting Matt Damon.  That led him to Murderball, which I had seen many years ago -- perhaps even before I started this here blog (the only reference I can find to it is here, not coincidentally referenced in my post about Invictus).

That was followed by Pacific Warriors, a documentary about the teams from Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa, and the rivalry between them.  It wasn't stunningly good, but I did get some interesting insights into these teams from the tiny islands, who are so often outplayed and overshadowed by their Maori companions, the All Blacks.


Speaking of the All Blacks, we did watch a lot of rugby on YouTube, including the All Blacks' women's side, called the Black Ferns.  Some great stuff there.

Many, many moons ago, Dad gave me a book called Muddied Oafs: The Last Days of Rugger, which S picked up.  The editing is admittedly terrible, so he didn't make it far, but there's some good background there.  Fun fact: the first rugby World Cup wasn't until 1987.

The book led to the viewing of The Story of Rugby, a six-part look-back at the history of the sport, released in anticipation of the 2019 World Cup tournament.  It's a look at how rugby has grown over time, what it means to the countries which field teams, and generally is a tribute to the sport and some of its best players.  This, of course, includes my favorite English vet, Jonny Wilkinson -- although I have to say he looks terrible in the film.  For some of his playing highlights, check out this (some great kicking, great passing, and a fantastic dump tackle at 9:30) and try this for a retirement tribute from his teammates and coaches, as well as selected clips as they are talking.  And just for good measure, here is the second-extra-time kick that gave England the 2003 World Cup win.


[It's not about rugby, but since we're talking sports history, I have to give a shout-out to the Netflix show The English Game, which is a retelling of the rivalry between the the teams at the heart of football's (or soccer's, if you prefer) shift from a purely amateur (read: aristocratic) leisure activity to a professional sport.  Very well made and fun to watch.]

Movies -- A Recap -- Part VI

Krystal is a strange film about a strange family.  The plot is twisted and unbelievable, and makes me think that this is what it is like to be inside William H. Macy's mind all the time.  Nevertheless, there is lots of witty family banter and there is something sweet about the story overall.  I'm not sure why I liked it, but I did.






Paddleton is about as simple as movies can get.  Aside from a few store and hotel clerks, there are two characters in this movie.  They are an oddball pair of friends whose relationship takes a touching turn when one of them is diagnosed with cancer.  It's uncomplicated, and lovely.  Viewer's tip: keep an eye out for the great t-shirts seen throughout.

 




We stumbled onto the Spanish film 1898: Our Last Men in the Philippines on Netflix one night.  It's the tale of the last outpost of the Spanish empire in its last colony.  The men there do not know, then do not believe, that Spain has ceded the Philippines to the U.S., and continue the fight despite all the tragedies that befall them.  It's a bit gory to the point of cringeworthy in a few spots, but a pretty good tale about a forgotten piece of history.  It was also kind of nice to see a movie with a bunch of unknown faces filling the main roles.

 

S was in the mood for something good in the old-fashioned story-telling sense, and I had never seen The Last Samurai, so we settled in one night to watch.  It definitely met his criteria -- it's not a reimagining of a movie that came out 5 years prior, and it's not trying to make some metaphysical point (at least I don't think it is).  It's just a story about a guy.  And that guy was Tom Cruise a couple of years before he lost his mind on Oprah's couch, so it was back when he was still doing decent stuff.
 



Enemy was weird.  Jake Gyllenhaal plays both lead characters, Adam and his doppelganger Anthony, who seems to have been sprung, literally but unbeknownst to either of them, from Adam's rib.  When Adam sees Anthony in a movie, he becomes obsessed with him.  Through the stalking portion, I'm with this movie.  But then there's this whole weird thing with spiders, which was beyond me.  This Vulture article tries to explain it, but even having read it, that's just not what I want in a movie.


 
When we began On My Skin: The Last Seven Days of Stefano Cucchi, I didn't realize that it is a true story.  That makes it all the more awful.  The title character is taken into Italian police custody, where he is beaten badly.  He refuses medical treatment as a protest against not having access to his attorney, and (I don't think it's a spoiler to say), dies as a consequence.





I expected to like Howard's End.  It has Emma Thompson, who is simply wonderful in everything (including this).  Add Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, a very British setting, and a musty old work of classic literature, and it doesn't get much more Merchant-Ivory.  Having said all that, I don't have much background in the musty works, or in Merchant-Ivory films.  I loved the setting, scenery, costumes, actors, but I hated the last 1/3 of the film.  Will they all be like that?

What I'm Reading Now -- The Great Gatsby

K, E, and I were recently discussing our favorite works of classic literature.  K, without hesitation, endorsed The Great Gatsby, lauding its ability to resonate at whatever stage of life she's in.  Obviously she has read it many times.

You can imagine her horror, then, when I announced that -- despite owning multiple copies -- I had never read it.  I'm not sure how I escaped school without reading it, but somehow I did.

That is about to change.  And I have an expert reading it with me to make sure I get the absolute most out of this reading experience!

Goals 2020 -- June Edition

June will have the same theme as May -- something that I don't want to do and have been putting off.  But, as with May, it will have the desired effect of Clearing My Mind, Simplifying My Life by getting something off my mind.

June's big winner is (drumroll please...) estate planning!