What I'm Reading Again -- The Cellist of Sarajevo

I first started reading The Cellist of Sarajevo many years ago, on a trip to North Carolina to visit mom and E.  I had run out of my own reading material, so borrowed this book.  I didn't get too far into it before getting home, and then got busy with life and never finished it.

I needed something small and portable that I could carry around with me recently, and I found it when I was moving recently, so I decided to take it along.

I had to start over because, despite leaving a bookmark in the book where I had left off, I had little recollection of the contents of the first 30 pages.  I have made it about that far again, and hopefully I will get further this time!

What I Watched -- Loving

Loving is the personal story behind the United States Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia, which put an end to the state's ban on interracial marriage.

The film stars Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton and Mildred and Richard Loving, two unassuming people in love who want nothing more than to be left alone.  I find it interesting that such an American story is conveyed to us through two actors who were born in Ethiopia and Australia, respectively.  Before I knew that, I assumed that the relative lack of dialogue in the film was intended to illustrate that they were quiet, private people; perhaps it also had to do with difficulties with accents.

One thing I really liked about it was that there was very little between the two lead actors about the fact that one was black and one was white.  That's obviously the central difficulty in the movie, but -- as one might expect in real life -- by the time Mildred and Richard get around to getting married, it's just not something they talk about any longer.  It's simply a part of life that they have grown so used to that they hardly seem to notice it, even though everyone else does.

Bottom line: two wonderful under-performances carry a simple but powerful story -- and it's a history lesson, to boot.

What I Watched -- Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea is not a happy movie.  If you've seen or heard anything about it, you probably know that already.

Casey Affleck, everyone's new favorite sad guy, plays Lee.  Lee's brother passed away suddenly, and the childless Lee is thrust into the role of father for his nephew.  It becomes apparent early on that Lee left his hometown under mysterious circumstances, and the interesting parts of the move relate to figuring out what those circumstances were.

The power scene is a confrontation between Lee and Randi (played by Michelle Williams).  Her role in the movie is small but pivotal, and the scene is a great reminder of how good of an actress she is.

One probably would not be surprised to learn that a movie set in Massachusetts about a down-on-his-luck and misunderstood leading man was produced by none other than my boyfriend, Matt Damon.

Bottom line: dark, sad, and well done.

Goals 2017 -- May Edition

I've moved most of my belongings (except the rugs and big furniture) to S's house.  Now I'm on to the next task-- sorting:
     - What to keep;
     - What to sell;
     - What to give away;
     - What to throw away.

For all the stuff I'm going to keep, I have to decide where it's going to fit.

And I have a deadline!  K is graduating, and my mom, who has never been to S's house, is going to come visit for a night.  We have a guest room (L's Library) ready to go, but it's hard to get there on account of the boxes stacked everywhere.

So, that's the May project -- unpacking.