![]() We start the month with 106,000 covid deaths in the US and just over 7,000 in Canada. We end with 130,000 in the US and 8,500 in Canada. The daily/nightly demonstrations rising from the death of George Floyd continue. June 5 There doesn’t seem to be much to write about as each day runs quietly into the next. Things are beginning to re-open but still no barbers, restaurants, theatres and the casino remains closed - not that I’d go. There are obviously (as one would expect) varying levels of concern - some wear masks while they walk and others do not (maybe they don’t have them). The annual Windsor Bluesfest which usually happens mid July has just been cancelled and so too our film festival. Toronto estimates the loss of tourist revenue over the next year will be almost $5 billion. The stock market continues to climb. I spend a lot of time gardening - the weather has been good for that. I’m also painting, having found a niche of acrylic on wood (4’ x 4’). It’s an opportunity to create a series - 12 done this month. I read Viktor Frankl’s "Man’s Search for Meaning". The first half deals with his survival in a number of Nazi concentration camps. In some ways the covid-forced isolation is similar in the effects it has on the psyche (admittedly nowhere near as horrific or intense). Many have lost time - in that we don’t know how long this will last. Without the daily routine a job provides, the people we meet there, etc., we are forced to go deeper within. ![]() June 23 I read “The Toltec Secret” a book about the dreaming practices of ancient Mexicans, and in it was a somewhat detailed description of the Lady of Guadalupe “myth”. Of course I’d heard of it and seen many Catholic Churches named after her, but never knew what the legend was. In my (almost) daily walks, I pass by a church by that name and now I understand more. The next time I passed, I found a religious? medallion - directly in front of it - of course I kept it and took it as a sign. That day I was working on a painting (Number 9 - orange and yellow) and I posted it with comments. I noted that it first reminded me of Don Quixote but I was not sure why. Then the poster for Man of La Mancha came to mind. Then a friend (Storms) made the comment “Dream the Impossible Dream” - just all so connected (Lady of Guadalupe to my dream research). ![]() Read Summer Crossing 2005 Truman Capote. This manuscript surfaced after his death in 1984. It was his first and he was never satisfied with it - made changes for many years. He threw it away but a caregiver rescued it. It’s a short read, and I found it much in the style of Salinger. The protagonist is most likely an early rendition of Holly Golightly, the main character in his acclaimed novel “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. I feel he wasn’t finished, the ending seems too abrupt. It would have been interesting to continue the story to see how other family members reacted to her decisions. I recommend this more as a curiosity piece. Goodreads reviews here Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl "There is no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bear witness that a person has the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer" “One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated.” “Man's main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life. ... In accepting this challenge to suffer bravely, life has a meaning up to the last moment, and it retains this meaning literally to the end.” “Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant.” Goodreads file here (there are 251 editions of this book) ![]() Tom Corbett and The Robot Rocket Carey Rockwell 1956 This was a Christmas gift from my x-wife to add to my collection of children’s series books. I don’t usually read them but needed a diversion - it was quite fun! Tom and the gang take their ship to the edge of the galaxy to rescue valuable mining data from a Robot Mining ship. Followed through space by some crooks who plan to steal the data and kill the young cadets, things get out of hand. I think I will read another. Hitchhiking Across the Atlantic Lulu Waldron 2016 Very quick read about a two month sailing adventure - starting in the Caribbean and ending in the Azores, via Bermuda. This book is really about Lulu finding herself, or at least releasing herself from all restrictions the world had placed on her and she on herself. “Out on the skinny branches of life” Goodreads here The Toltec Secret: Dreaming Practices of the Ancient Mexicans 2014 Sergio Magana Interesting information. For the curious follow this link for a summary and reviews. ![]() Viewed Breakfast at Tiffany’s 1961 An American romantic comedy film loosely based on Truman Capote's 1958 novella of the same name. Starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and featuring Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Mickey Rooney. I watched because I was reading “Summer Crossing” by Capote. I find his female characters interesting, definitely a “women’s lib” movie coming out a year after the birth control pill - a turning point for western women. It was also the debut of “the little black dress”. I enjoyed it. Trailer here The Report 2019 An American film starring Adam Driver as Daniel Jones, and Annette Bening as Dianne Feinstein. (Also with Jon Hamm and Jonathan Rys). The plot follows Jones and the Senate Intelligence Committee as they investigate the CIA's use of torture following the September 11 attacks and the 2005 destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes. It covers more than a decade's worth of real-life political intrigue, exploring and compacting Jones's 6,700-page report. I consider this a must-watch for anyone interested in the health of democracy in the west. Trailer here ![]() Judy 2019 Renée Zellweger won 16 film awards, including the Oscar for best actress for her performance - it is something to see. Judy Garland (Francis Ethel Gumm) had 5 husbands: bandleader Dave Rose - she was 19 he was 31 (3 years), Vincente Minnelli who was 20 years older (6 years - and Liza), Sid Luft (11 years and 2 children) a five month marriage to Mark Herron, and lastly Mickey Deans 12 years her junior. Deans and Garland dated intermittently for three years, and were only married a few months before Garland was found dead of a drug overdose at age 47. Trailer here Official Secrets 2019 A film based on the life of whistleblower Katharine Gun who leaked a memo detailing that the United States had eavesdropped on diplomats from countries tasked with passing a second United Nations resolution on the invasion of Iraq. Quite the cast: Keira Knightley, Matt Smith (Prince Phillip in The Crown), Ralph Fiennes, Jack Farthing (nasty villain in Poldark) and Mathew Goode (The Goodwife - Alicia love interest and Downton Abbey). Trailer here ![]() An Unfinished Life 2005 A film starring Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, and Morgan Freeman. It’s the story of a gruff Wyoming rancher (Redford) who must reconcile his relationship with his struggling daughter-in-law (Lopez) and previously-unknown-to-him granddaughter, after they show up unexpectedly at his ranch and ask to stay with him and his disabled best friend and neighbor (Freeman). Thoroughly enjoyed this - a movie about real life. Trailer here 13th 2016 (Netflix) Ftw: This film explores the "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States." It’s titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime. This is absolutely MUST WATCH - if you think Black Lives Matter! Trailer here ![]() Marcella (Netflix - 3 seasons 8 episodes each) ftw: The series stars Anna Friel as Marcella Backland, a former London detective who returns to work to investigate an open case from 11 years ago involving an unidentified serial killer who appears to have become active again. Marcella also has to deal with a hectic home life, where her husband, Jason, has made the decision to leave her and, at first, send their two children to a boarding school; but later on (in the second season) he uses Marcella's mental disorder as a means to take full custody. This is a good one. Friel won an International Emmy for best actress - great performances, fascinating character. Pretty sure it will be back for a 4th season. Trailer season 3 (note: season 3 is so much different from the first 2, which are amazing as is) Tried to watch several other movies but could not finish them. One called “Trauma Center” starred Bruce Willis - Bruce seems like a bad clone (of himself - I had to google the movie to see if it was really him or a look-a-like), his acting days are over.
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AuthorI believe we are what we think. What we think depends on what we feed our brains. This is a partial record of what my brain has been eating. Archives
February 2023
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