Memes to the rescue. They stand ready to lighten the load of our feelings of despair.
It’s Not Like We Didn’t See This Coming
Month: January 2021
Habitat for Humanity Building Update
The ground floor unit is finished and they have helpfully left the lights on at night, so I can capture the layout.
The front part of the house is a great room.
Next to that is a porch and a laundry room.
Here’s a bedroom with a closet.
And here’s the second bedroom.
There must be a bathroom in play somewhere, but it’s not on this side of the building.
I wonder if the bathroom is on the other side of the hallway?
I think this is the porch to the unit on the back half of the building?
Clearly, I’m lacking a guided tour, but I’m glad to have at least this view.
SKS Postcard: Long Live the USPS
Sara reports that this fabulous card was sent to her, and she was thrilled to find it at a holiday pop up in town. So now I get my own copy!
She also reports that the @address on the back of the postcard is not helpful for buying the card. Postcard fail! Thank goodness for that pop up.
Great Mask Signage
Some Freddy Mercury to bring the pro-mask message home.
And this little rejoinder of alternate accommodations to anti-maskers.
George’s Corner bar is on top of it.
Soul: Meditations on the Zone
Soul
Directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers
Written by Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers
The review:
Not so much a movie that people in middle age should watch if they feel like they are trudging through their life never having found their thing,* but otherwise this movie is an interesting look at personality, passion and the zone. It’s got usual excellent details expected from a Pixar movie.** I also appreciated that the story centered on a middle-aged Black man and his New York City life.***
The verdict: Good
Cost: Disney+/Hulu bundle ($12.99) (We have this because Matt wanted to watch the Mandalorian)
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
Further sentences:
*For them, I worry it will cause a level of anguished tears equal to mine at the conclusion of L’Illusionniste.
**I loved the look of the counselors in the Great Before, plus the fact they were all named Jerry.
***The middle school band scenes felt very familiar.
Questions:
- What personality badges would you have been assigned in the Great Before?
- Who was your favorite voice?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
Animators used footage of several music performers, including jazz composer Jon Batiste, performing as reference for the film’s musical sequences. By capturing MIDI data from the sessions, animators were able to retrace the exact key being played on the piano with each note and create the performances authentically.
(I appreciate this as it bugs me when I can tell the actor isn’t playing the instrument.)
Other reviews of Soul:
- Wendy Ide, ScreenDaily
- Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter
Matt’s Fun Date Choice: Lego
It was Matt’s week to choose the date and he came home with a Lego set for us to put together.
I do love the tidy order and step-by-step of a good Lego set.
Here is the finished product.
I also think it’s fun how the astronaut fits in the cockpit, and the satellite folds and fits into the space ship.
Once we were done, we dissembled the whole shebang, repackaged it, and I dropped it off in a Little Free Library so someone else could enjoy it.
Mad Max Fury Road Crackles. Plus, That Guitar Guy!
Mad Max Fury Road
Directed by George Miller
Written by George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nico Lathouris
The review:
If you, like me, held off from watching this 2015 film because you hadn’t seen the other Mad Max movies, worry not because you’ll catch on right away.* What makes this better than a lot of films that try to be like this is that 1) it’s got a great story at its core with a lot of humanity and 2) the inventive set design combined with its never stop never stopping pace means this movie is a sensory treat. Populated with a lot of actors who are known for, you know, acting** and not just being action movie stars this is the one action film you should watch this year.***
The verdict: Recommended
Cost: HBOMax monthly fee ($12.99) (We’re still living off our month we signed up for due to WW84.)
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
Further sentences:
*It’s an action film, after all, so the nuance is not great.
**Charlize Theron! Tom Hardy! Nicolas Hoult! Zoe Kravitz! Riley Keough!
***Assuming you didn’t watch it back in 2015, like I should have.
Questions:
- What was your favorite set detail?
- Which of the bad guys do you think was the worst?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
Editor Margaret Sixel, is married to director George Miller. When she asked why he thought she should take on this project, as she had never edited an action film before, Miller replied, “Because if a guy did it, it would look like every other action movie.” Sixel’s work paid off; she received an Academy Award for Best Editing.
Also this gem:
The cake-decorating company Wilton makes a decorative “Color Mist” in silver that is meant to be sprayed onto baked goods to give them a silver sheen. Before May 2015, the Amazon listing for this product contained a few pages of reviews only from bakers opining on the quality of the product when used as intended (on cakes). After the release of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), both the comments section and FAQ on the Amazon listing were filled with comments from users posting as though they were War Boys or Immortan Joe “reviewing” the product that the War Boys spray onto their mouths before going into battle. As of mid-June 2015, there were nineteen pages of Mad Max-related “reviews” of the Wilton product on Amazon.
Other reviews of Mad Max Fury Road:
- Dana Stevens, Slate
- Claudia Puig, USA Today
My Yearly Letters
I wrote my annual letters. There are two sets. For one set, I write a letter reflecting on the year and then write a letter about my hopes for the next year. I get to read the second letter at the end of the year.
The other set asks questions and then is designed to be put away for 10 years before being read. I like that it prompts me to take a picture and include it with the letter.
This is all made possible by electronic calendars. I have a yearly occurring appointment that reminds me not only to do write these letters but also where the document is located on my computer.
More Cookbook Winnowing
Welcome, blurry photo. I did not factor blurry photos into my middle age experience.
More cookbook winnowing! The Enchanted Broccoli Forest Cookbook might have been the first cookbook I ever bought. And the Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book was instrumental in teaching me how to make a loaf of whole wheat break.
As with the other pile, I’ve grabbed my favorites. Now it’s time to send the cookbooks off to Little Free Libraries in my neighborhood.