Saturday, August 28, 2021
A Bad Week, but...
Thursday, August 26, 2021
The Barbarian 1933
I previously recorded this movie and watched it on Sunday. I've been trying to make sense of it ever since.
It begins as a kind of farce. Ramon Novarro stars as Jamil, a guide (secretly a prince) who romances the tourists he meets. In the opening minutes, he pledges love to both an American and a German tourist and exchanges "family heirlooms" for valuable jewelry from his loves.
Then Myrna Loy as Diana arrives in town to meet her fiance. Jamil ingratiates himself with her by returning her dog after her Uncle Cecil (C. Aubrey Smith) and companion (Louise Closser Hale) leave the dog alone after arguing over who should take care of her.
Smith and Hale are very funny. Cecil is taking every opportunity to take a drink and can never seem to find cash when he needs to give someone a tip. I love when Cecil asks if there's a bar up there when Diana and Jamil are climbing a pyramid at night.
Soon the tone of the film changes. Jamil appears in Diana's bedroom unannounced and unwelcome. He takes over her caravan after she fires him when she wants to visit her fiance. When she demands they return to Cairo, he separates her from the rest of the caravan, degrades her, rapes her, and attempts to marry her.
Later Diana returns to her fiance, meets his overbearing mother, and is about to get married, but runs off with Jamil for a happy ending.
I've left out many details and a few characters, but that is the gist of the film. The change in the tone is jarring, and the end is disturbing. I realize there have been many changes over the years in what is considered romantic, but events in this film are too much.
It's strange that Myrna Loy, born in Montana, was cast as an exotic vamp in the 30s, but later a perfect wife in the 40s. Ramon Novarro was a Mexican cast as an Egyptian, Edward Arnold, son of German immigrants, was cast as another Egyptian. Hollywood was "color blind" in its own way. Maybe I should say it still is.
I would love to see a remake of this film as a romantic comedy as it seemed to be at the outset. It would be a challenge to get rid of all the offensive scenes, but well worth it.
More Photos
I got another good photo of Lola out of three tries at Taylor Farm during a morning visit on a hot day.
Yesterday at Oyster Shell Park, I took a few more photos. This is what I think is a heron taking off.
Monday, August 23, 2021
Our Lola
I was scrolling through the photos on my phone last week and saw this. I had forgotten to post it. This is one of the best photos of Lola. It's almost as if she were posing (for once--she usually shrinks from the camera.)
Lola is standing on a rock cropping near the picnic table where we meet our friends at Taylor Farm on Friday night. She is beautiful.
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Waiting out Henri
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Unlikable Protagonists
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Swan Update
I first saw the baby swans at the end of May when they were swimming with their parents on the Norwalk River. I posted pictures here a week later.
A few times in the past two weeks, I saw the parents with only two babies or cygnets. I hoped this didn't mean anything ominous. Last Wednesday, I saw the whole family on the shore. That was a relief.
The swans are mute swans. At first, I was a little confused because Wikipedia listed mute swans' habitat as Europe into China, but they are an invasive species. The swan family has been my favorite birds to watch lately. I haven't seen any egrets in weeks and no hawks in months.
Even Lola noticed the swans the day I took the picture. She seemed annoyed when I stopped to look at them. Later she looked through missing slats on the fence to watch them for a few minutes.
Usually the cygnets hang around with the parents until fall. I'll be watching.
Sunday, August 15, 2021
A Visit to Elephant's Trunk and the Merwinsville Hotel
Today I did a repeat of a trip I made 11 years ago. Although I'm not doing The Artist's Way--I gave up on daily pages about a year-and-a-half ago--I realized this was a perfect artist date for me.
After I took Lola to Taylor Farm and we had brunch at home, I headed to Elephant's Trunk flea market. I arrived around 1; it closes at 2. I had hoped to get there earlier, but I was satisfied with my time there. I did maybe a third to a half of the vendor tables. I bought a few things. I saw a pair of shot/liqueur glasses that I liked--the tops were shaped like white wine glasses and the stems were metal and shaped like grapes and leaves. We have more than enough liqueur glasses, but these were really cute. Then the vendor offered me five for $5. Sold.
Next I bought a political button: Betty Ford for President for $1. I saw other political buttons (I collect them) but they were pins I already had or were for candidates I didn't know.
My final purchase was a promotional container of Bourbon in the shape of Mount Rushmore. Oddly enough, after I saw a promotional Crown Royal barrel, I thought about the Mount Rushmore container I had bought for my sister in honor of our trip there. When I saw this one--I had to get it.
My real reason for this trip was to visit the Merwinsville Hotel. I had received an email about the hunt for 50 spheres hidden in various places in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties in honor of the 50th anniversary of the hotel's restoration efforts. The hotel is open Sundays from 2 to 4 for visits. Plus after writing about the hotel for a class assignment, I remembered that I had wanted to write about Sylvanus Merwin.
Now's the time to write a book about him. Yes, I'm writing a time travel book (stalled at the moment) but why can't I work on two? They're very different so each can be a good break from the other.
I went on a tour of the hotel, put aside a few things to buy (t-shirt, a wine glass, and two beer sampler glasses) and started looking for the sphere hidden there. I found it among the logs in the fireplace. I was so excited. I really wanted to find one. I imagined myself searching in the outhouse on the hotel property (ugh) and visiting all the other places on the list. Yay for me. Once home, I registered my sphere online at the hotel's website.
I also talked to a woman conducting a tour who knew a lot about the hotel. She will send me some materials, including a story by a Virginia Smith.
It's weird Virginia Smith is the name of my grandmother. In a recent true-crime assignment for my writing class, the victim was George Smith--the name of my uncle.
I hope this portends something good.
Saturday, August 14, 2021
Unwanted Touching
Friday, August 13, 2021
Book 18: Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
I really enjoyed this book. In addition to a prologue and epilogue, it consists of two parts: "The Book of the Wife" and "The Book of the Witch."
Mary Deerfield is a 24 year-old woman married to a much older man in 1662 Boston. Unfortunately Thomas Deerfield is also cruel and violent, even while he presents a respectable image to the townspeople. His violence has been escalating, and after Thomas stabs Mary in the hand with a fork, she decides she can't continue to live with him and seeks a divorce.
"The Book of the Wife" describes everyday life in the 17th Century, Mary's background, and her divorce proceedings. Even during these proceedings there are hints that Mary is risking something more dangerous: a charge of witchcraft.
After Mary's divorce is denied, she reluctantly returns to Thomas. First she plans revenge, later escape. Both plans are foiled and she is arrested for witchcraft in "The Book of the Witch."
The only downside of the book for me is that it's a little slow in the beginning. I loved reading about everyday Puritan life, but there was too much repetition about Mary's masturbation, thinking about hot guys including her son-in-law, and whether this was sinful or not.
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Re-reads
Sometimes I just want to read something, but I don't know what to read next or I'm not in the mood to start a new book. So I'll pick up a book that I've already read before.
When I did that recently, I completely re-read two books: Straight Up and Dirty by Stephanie Klein and Driving Lessons by J.M. Gleckler.
Straight Up and Dirty is basically Stephanie Klein's memoir about the break-up of her marriage and her return to the dating world and healthier relationships. The story is not linear but weaves between scenes from her marriage and of her new relationships. Stephanie is a good writer, but can be a little too cutesy with her made-up words (e.g. wasband.) I learned about Stephanie through a Sunday Styles New York Times story in 2005 and read her blog for some time. I liked it enough to get her book.
Driving Lessons subtitled: The Adventures of Matt & Marty McCly by Joan (aka J.M.) Gleckler is about a married couple who become long-distance truck drivers. Each chapter details a person they meet or a place they visit on the road. I met Joan at the first writing retreat I attended about 30 years ago and heard parts of the novel in progress. I enjoyed re-reading the book, but it wasn't as funny as I remembered.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: I picked up the book again to write this post about scents in writing. I didn't re-read it as much as re-skim it. Someday I'll write a complete post about the book and the film.
Monday, August 9, 2021
A New Week
I'm happy to start a new week because last week was bad. It started a week ago Sunday (technically the end of the previous week.) I had a weird sharp pain in my side. It hurt every time I bent over. I did an abbreviated workout at the gym and ended up vegging the rest of the day. After that the pain subsided to a dull ache. I could live with that. I returned to the gym on Thursday and exercised here on three days. That's not too bad for a bad week.
As I posted on Tuesday, I stayed up till 1 AM to finish Paradise Alley. Unfortunately, that messed up my sleep for the whole week. Even this morning I woke up at 3:30 and tossed and turned for about three hours before finally getting up.
I had one good night of writing for my class today. I gave myself permission to drink more wine because I was writing. Not the best idea, that helped mess up my sleep too.
Saturday night I ruined the dinner. I had defrosted a ribeye steak and got corn on the cob and tomatoes at the farmer's market. Although I had made the steak before the same way, this time is was much too raw, and then I overcooked it. It was very frustrating. At least I redeemed myself Sunday with Chicken Milanese, Romesco sauce, roasted potatoes, and a avocado cucumber salad.
Then there are the New York Mets. Sigh. On Friday as the Mets began a three-game series with the Phillies, I told Jeff that the Mets had to sweep. Their lead has already dwindled to a half-game in the National League East. Well, there was a sweep, but it was not by the Mets. The Mets start today in third place behind the Phillies and the Braves. They hope this is rock bottom. Sigh. Being a Mets fan isn't easy.
On a more positive note, we shared our true crime stories in today's fiction class: they were really good. Next week our theme is carnivals and we have to write an Abcedarian story. The first sentence starts with A, the second with B, through Z. I've done two of these before. A few of the letters are challenging, but it's fun. Next week is our last class of the summer, and then we're off for four weeks.
We're heading into a heat wave. That will give me time to do the cleaning that I neglected last week and some writing. Sounds like a plan.
Sunday, August 8, 2021
Book 17: Rachel Calof's Story: Jewish Homesteader of the Northern Plains
My friend Chris reminded me that the Norwalk Library has free books outside its entrance. The next time I drove by and picked up a few books. One is a book of poetry and the other is memoir.
Rachel Bella Kahn's world fell apart when her mother died when she was only four years old. A cruel caretaker and a cruel stepmother deprived Rachel and her siblings of food as well as affection. Their father later abandoned them.
At 18 with no prospects, she traveled to America for an arranged marriage with Abraham Calof. Rachel had no idea of the primitive lifestyle she was joining. She worked hard laying wood floors and making walls, to make a better life for herself and her family.
Saturday, August 7, 2021
A Mets Misery Meter
It seems that every time I thought about writing about the Mets this season, something bad happened: they lost a game or a player got injured or both. Now, I feel that it doesn't matter.
The Mets were in first place in the National League East for almost three months. Until today. Of course, it wasn't just because of today's game. Too many games were lost against bad/mediocre teams such as the Marlins and the Pirates.
I became a Mets fan sometime in 1985. 1986 was the first season I followed. I didn't appreciate how incredible the team was that year, finishing with a record of 108-54, over 20 games ahead of their leading competitor--the Phillies--in the National League East. Even with that record, the National League Championship Series and the World Series were challenging.
There was a time when I was happy to see the team above .500. I remember saying something like that in the 2015 season when the Mets made it to the World Series, but lost. I also watched them lose to the dreaded Yankees in 2000 and then the Cardinals in the National League Championship Series in 2006.
I guess it now hurts more when the Mets get close, but somehow blow it.
Maybe first place in the National League East in 2021 didn't mean all that much based on how the other contenders seemed inept. Now it's the Mets' turn to be inept. As someone reported, they're playing their worst ball at the worst time of the year.
Sigh. Fandom hurts.
I don't want to give up hope. It's too soon for that. But reality is creeping in. In the next three weeks, the Mets play the Dodgers and the Giants 13 times. That's scary. If the Mets can't score against the Marlins and the Pirates, what hope do they have against the Dodgers and the Giants?
I guess the operative word is hope. Let's keep hoping.
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Two from the Thirties from Warner Bros
Yesterday I watched Black Fury (1935) starring Paul Muni. I recorded it off TCM without reading the description. I thought it was about a Klan-like society. No, it's about a union struggle in the Pennsylvania coal mines. I hadn't seen it before.
Muni plays Joe Radek who is devastated when his fiancee runs off with another man. His drunken antics lead to him being manipulated by an outside agitator to break up the union. Joe comes through in the end and wins his fiancee back.
I love the gritty look of Warner Bros. films about unions, secret societies, juvenile delinquents, and gangsters. It was fun to check out the Warner Bros. contract players such as Barton MacLane, Ward Bond, and Henry O'Neill. Plus I recognized John Qualen (but had to check where I had seen him--Berger in Casablanca); Vince Barnett (from Scarface); Willard Robertson from Torchy Gets Her Man, and an uncredited cameo from Addison Richards from another Torchy Blaine film, Smart Blonde.
The Man Who Played God (1932) The story was so nice, George Arliss made it twice (sorry): a silent version in 1922 before this version. Arliss plays a brilliant concert pianist who loses his hearing in an explosion. Davis is his protegee in her sixth film that probably salvaged her early career in Hollywood. It was hard to get beyond the fact that Arliss looked like a wax figure, but it was a good movie.
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Book 16: Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker
I loved this book.The last 50 or so pages were so gripping, I stayed up until 1 AM to finish reading it. I can't remember the last time I did that. I often doze off reading even good books.
Paradise Alley is an account of the 1863 Draft Riots in New York City. But it's so much more than that. Meticulously researched, the book provides detailed descriptions of daily life in Paradise Alley, famine in Ireland, and tactics of Civil War battles. The research never takes away from the narrative but enriches it.
Its story is told from multiple points of view, but focuses on three woman, Ruth, Deidre, and Maddy. They all live in Paradise Alley, but in some ways live in different worlds, until they band together to save themselves.
I can't wait to read more of Kevin Baker.
Monday, August 2, 2021
Another Look at Body Heat
Over the last two days, I rewatched Body Heat. I want to comment on a few scenes.
In one, Ned is casing the Breakers where he plans to dump Edmund Walker's body, timing the passes of the police or security personnel. Why is he wearing a red shirt as he hides behind a trash can? Wouldn't gray or black be a smarter choice?
As Ned is in Miami to establish his alibi for the murder of Edmund Walker, a clown in full make-up drives by in a convertible. This isn't a blink-and-you-miss-it scene; Ned notices and stares at the clown.
A few scenes later shows a spider in the middle of a web. Who/what will it ensnare?
That's one thing I love about re-watching a film or TV show, re-reading a book. or even listening to a story in class the second (or third) time, there are things you missed the first time around or just didn't pay attention to. There is always more.