Medics, Music, and Movies

Deb has her bi-monthly infusion today, and also saw her doctor.  Last week she had a telephone appointment with her regular M.D. concerning a nagging and persistent cough she has had for a long time now.  It goes away, but this time it came back and seemed worse.  He prescribed some meds and got her an appointment (next January!) with an allergist.  Her rheumatologist thinks it might be related to one of the drugs she takes for her rheumatoid arthritis, so he told her to cut back on that one.  He checked her lungs today and all seems well.  I had a medical appointment scheduled for Wednesday, but it was cancelled by the retina specialist, who is only seeing emergencies.  This is the 2nd time my appointment was cancelled and rescheduled.  It is now reset for January, the day after Deb's allergist one.  Expecting a big snow storm those days.

It's been a very warm July, with many days over 30 C, and many of those over 32 C.  I managed three deep sky observing nights, which has kept my spirits up considerably.  I am into my 8th week of indoor fitness, which includes several types of walks on the treadmill, including incline ones, some light weight lifting, some stomach work, and stretching.  And the piano pieces have really come a long way in July.  I hope I can play some of them in August, but we are still in a stage 2 crisis here, with 20-40 new cases of covid-19 reported every day in our little county.  I have even began working on a solo piece for my next year's recital, a very difficult piece by Schubert that will take everything I have to pull off.  I also have a tough one by Rachmaninov planned for that recital, too, and hope to get started on it by September.

In listening news, we finished up Op 5 by Corelli and will soon begin his Op 6 Concerto Grossi.  The Haydn string quartets are continuing, as is the complete works of Brahms.  And we are amidst a new opera, this one being The Coronation of Poppea, by Monteverdi.  We finished up Wagner's earliest opera last week, "The Fairies."

Due to the luck of the draw, Deb gets to pick four movies in a row once every two months (so do I, on alternating months).  Her regular weekly pick last week was My Twentieth Centur, a 1989 film by Hungary' first feature film by a female director.  Ildiko Enyedi has constructed a type of fantasy film, merging it with a story set in the halcyon days of the 1880s, when Edison's light bulb was wowing the world, the telegraph was sending messages around the world in minutes, and the promise of a happy and prosperous future seemed to lie just ahead for one and all.

 Now showing on Criterion Channel.

 Marching band at night, with light bulbs on their heads.

Twin girls, falling asleep selling matches on a cold winter's night, are swept away to different destinies by benevolent strangers, who each take one of them.  Dora grows into a bit of a hedonist, seeking laughter, light, and all things shiny and glittery.  Lili gets involved with political revolution,and is much more serious and focused.  The girls unknowingly meet the same man and have affairs with him, before being reunited in the finale.  There are many moments of magic in the film, though it is all a bit unfocused itself, at least upon one viewing.  No doubt a second viewing, which wouldn't be a bad idea, would help clarify things a bit.  The Criterion interview with the director afterwards is very enlightening, also.  Needless to say, she had a tough time being a woman film director in Hungary at the time.  A very unusual film, but eminently likeable.

Deb did not choose a theme for her film festival, but rather three unconnected films.  The first one was called Mr. Thank You, from 1936 Japan.  It is a road movie, perhaps the very first one!  A group of people ride the bus from their seaside village to the train station, 20 miles away, that will take them to Tokyo.  The bus driver,whenever he overtakes a walker, rider, or other vehicle, always thanks the people he overtakes, and thus his name.  He is quite famous on his mountainous route, which takes the better part of an entire day to travel.  The passengers are mostly peasants, the scenery is often dramatic, and the camera work very advanced for the time.  This is a wonderful slice of life movie, a slice that we would have never seen, and that has long ago passed into memory.  Highly recommended.

 Now showing on Criterion.

Mr Thank You himself, and passengers.

Next came Golden Eighties, from 1986, by Chantal Akerman.  This is a very, very, very shallow film, and if it does nothing else, reminds us all through its painful presentation why no one remembers the 80s. Golden?  More leaden, methinks.  It is a musical, very colourful, and with some fine acting.  It is set in a section of a Parisian shopping mall.  That should be enough to alert the discriminating viewer.  But it gets worse.  It's a musical.  The songs are among the blandest, most instantly forgettable ever put on film.  The story is among the most shallow ever scripted.  Deb quit after about thirty minutes, but I took pain killers and carried on.  The film has a certain charm to it, and doesn't take itself very seriously.  But why would such an inventive director want to make this movie?  Why would she want her audience to invest time in its story?  A very unusual picture, one that is hard to pin down.  And I certainly am unlikely to forget it, no matter how hard I try.

 Now showing on Criterion.

The chorus girls.  

Lastly came Sidewalk Stories, from 1989.  Directed and starring Charles Lang (and his adorable two-year old daughter), it is a modern take on Chaplin, and mostly works really well.  Filmed in black and white, and filmed in the raw streets of New York City, it is also a hommage to the buskers and homeless people of that city.  The only time talking is used is at the very end, when the homeless speak for themselves, briefly.  If you like Chaplin (we do!), then this movie should be watched.

 Now showing on Criterion.

  The two stars of the movie.  

This weekend is Lammas, and we will be celebrating it on Sunday.  And Monday is the August full moon, so we get a double party whammy!  Usually we head off for the day into the countryside, but as of this moment it will be another indoor event. Hopefully I will post before then, so stop by often and see what we've been up to at Lone Mountain Homestead.  Thanks for stopping by.

Mapman Mike

 

Our New Life: An Update

Regular readers of this endlessly fascinating column will already know that Deb and I have adjusted easily and well to indoor life since the virus forced a total shutdown of civilization as we know it.  Our county, Essex, Ontario, still has the highest infection rate per-capita in the country, and shows no sign of diminishing.  While it's pretty low compared to across the river in the land of the savages, it's still high enough to keep us pretty much doing the same thing we have been doing for the past several months.  Staying mostly indoors.

It's been a very warm summer, so even our exercise program has been indoors.  I am deep in my 6th week, or is it my 7th, of using the treadmill and the weight bench.  I strongly dislike exercise for the sake of exercise,and usually I have a goal in mind before starting any kind of program.  For much of our lives that goal has centred around high altitude hiking in New Mexico, or long distance trail walking in London, UK.  I am easily motivated if I have a goal to work towards.  And when I began this program in early June, I still had hopes of a late October or early November hiking trip to New Mexico.  Well, that slim chance has become non-existent since then.  There may be a slim chance for our third visit to Vienna at that time, but only if we do not have to quarantine upon our return.

Travel options aside, we have no complaints about mostly staying home.  I have had two astronomy night outings so far this session, with the chance of a 3rd one tonight or tomorrow, whichever clear night arrives first.  I've had one opportunity to see Comet Neowise, and it did impress me! 

In gaming news, we have finished a major 5-game tournament of Middle Earth The Wizards.  That takes about 2-6 months to finish up such and undertaking.  And we have played our first game of The Lidless Eye, from the same series, in which you play from the Nazgul viewpoint instead of a wizard's.  The games are similar, but there are some striking differences, too.  Our first game was rather hesitant and not very successful, but we will try again soon.  With the limited amount of cards we have, it's difficult to gather points.  The goal is to reach 18, but by the end of our first game I had only earned 8, while Deb had 5.  So the learning curve continues.

Once we finish a 5-game major tournament with our Wizards decks, we play a 5-game mini-tournament, playing five different games that I have made up using the cards and Tolkien lore.  This weekend, in addition to it being a film festival weekend, will also become a mini Carcassonne gaming event, if time allows.

In movie news, we have seen two films since my last post, one of my choosing and one of Deb's. We have also watched episode 5 of Berlin Alexanderplatz.  Deb's movie was from 1977, an American film by Joan Micklin Silver called Between The Lines.  It's about a group of young people who work and write for an independent newspaper in Boston.  It's a pretty depressing movie, and not really very entertaining.  But it offers one answer to the question of whatever happened to all of those idealists from the 1960s.  Bit by bit they were all absorbed into the American capitalist system, or left without a lifeline if they refused to join.  Most of the male characters in the movie are total jerks, which is an interesting aspect of the film since directed by a female, who probably knew many such characters.  But overall I found the movie too disjointed, with too many characters and too many side plots.  In the end the movie isn't really about very much.  Tellingly, the only person to quit the newspaper when it is taken over by a syndicate is the female secretary.  No one else had the guts to leave their low paying job, even though the entire slant of the paper was going to change.  In the end, almost everyone sold out.

 Now showing on Criterion, directed by Joan Micklin Silver.

My film choice was Zatoichi and the Doomed Man.  Besides some unusual combat settings, including a fog-shrouded fishing boat beach, and some stunning wide screen colour photography, there isn't too much to say about this short film.  Ichi kills at least 80 men, and at one point uses two swords.  There are no dull moments, but a few silly ones, as roving Buddhist monk, a petty criminal, tags along for awhile.  He meets him in the opening scene, where Zatoichi, using a bow and arrows, hits continuous bulls eyes on small moving targets at a sideshow, winning lots of money.

Zatoichi #11, now showing on Criterion.

And now it's time for art in the blog.  Today, instead of featuring a painting from the DIA, I turn to one of my oldest friends, Dino N.  Dino recently took up painting again, creating a loosely linked series inspired by his stay at home experience.  He hasn't painted in a very long time, so it's great to see some of his recent material!  He painted on 1' x 1' boards for most of these.  I have chosen four painting to show here.  Perhaps more later, if he continues to paint and send out images to me.

 I really love the calmness about this image, and how she seems to emerge from the water, just like a real goddess would!  I should mention that Dino and his wife have a cottage in central Ontario, and I don't.  I miss swimming in freshwater lakes.

 

 Dino's images are direct and easy to confront.  Here the wood grain in behind the paint adds a lot to the texture.  The vivid green is actually quite comforting, and the use of almost Asian painting brushstrokes for the greenery is very effective.  I couldn't think of a better use for a small board and some paint.

 

Beautiful colouring on the fish, and the undulation of the tail has been perfectly captured.

Another great image, this one an hommage to Japanese scroll painting.

And so we come to the end of another bit of informative and lively chatter from Lone Mountain Homestead.  I sincerely hope you have enjoyed your stay, and come back soon for another visit.

Mapman Mike

Valeria 2

The first draft of my 2nd Valeria novel is nearly complete.  The final chapter is in progress, to be followed by the first rewrite.  Certain aspects of the story need to pared down, and other ones brought to the forefront.  There is always a plan when a story begins, but as most writers know, novels and their characters have a way of steering things in directions even the best planners can fail to predict.  Valeria herself, the child of very ancient vampire parents, is 13 and has been raised as a vegetarian.  While her character develops more than the others in the story, including her friends, everyone is growing up and changing on the go.  Anyway, Val helps keep me young, and likely her parents, too.

As righteous anger continues to boil over in the world, staying home is a good way to avoid confusion.  Deb and I have both adjusted very well to staying home during the last 5 months, and will likely continue to do so for some time.  Our days are filled, and some days there is even time to get everything done that we wanted.  That's not to say we don't share the outrage over social injustices that have been going on for centuries, and not surprisingly, continue to go on to this day.  While it's good to see so many people demanding change and justice, during a pandemic it can really confuse people, who seem to bounce from one crisis to another like a pinball machine.  Essentially, if we don't get a grip on climate change really really soon, all of the other issues won't matter much at all.  Mr. Trump, if doing nothing else, is helping prepare the world for the chaos to come.

In gaming news, we received our new cards and play decks from The Netherlands.  The Lidless Eye is a full set expansion of Middle Earth: The Wizards, which we have been playing since about 1995.  Instead of playing with a company of heroes, one now manages a deck of evil rogues.  The games can be combined, playing an original hero deck against a minions one.  First we must learn to play the basic game, though.

One of the cards from The Lidless Eye, a new game for us. 

We also bought our newest board game, based on the famous and very popular Bob Ross PBS TV art show, where you paint along with Bob as he creates one of his "masterpieces" in about 30 minutes.  Called Art of the Chill, we played our first game yesterday.  It's for 2-4 players, and takes less than an hour to play.  It is easy to learn, and quite fun.

Art of chill, our newest board game. 

In astronomy news, I have managed one mosquito-infested outing so far this month, with another planned for Friday evening.  The sun has really began moving southerly once again, though July nights are still bright ones.  I can begin observing deep sky objects around 10:30 pm.  I am currently working mostly in the constellation Draco, a haven for galaxy lovers.

In movie news, we watched Atom Egoyan's acclaimed film The Sweet Hereafter, which I detested.  Though winning high praise from critics and several big film awards, it never caught on with the public.  Could it be that the film is actually really empty, and has covered the images and dialogue with so much pretension and garbled story telling that it literally makes little sense to viewers?  There is zero entertainment value in watching the afterlife of a small town that lost many children to a school bus accident.  The lawsuit is sabotaged by a young teen girl getting revenge on her father who raped her (I am not making this up).  The lawyer has a daughter who is a drug addict.  Not sure how that fits into this movie, but we see a lot of it.  There is good acting, great photography, and the accident scene is realistic in a dream-like and surreal way.  I would much rather have seen a first class documentary about this event (based on an actual bus crash) then this confusing mess of a feature film.

From 1997, now showing on Criterion. 

My choice this week is an early work by Wim Wenders, as I continue to seek out all available films by him and Fassbinder.  The American Friend is Wenders' take on Patricia Highsmith's Ripley's Game, a favourite novel of mine from many years earlier.  Dennis Hopper plays Ripley, who comes to the rescue of a Hamburg art framer, who has been taken advantage of by a mobster.  Shot in Hamburg and Paris, the movie is slow to build, but once it gets going it has some terrific moments.  The entire train sequence is very tense, as the two killers have to improvise under very strained conditions.  Parts of the movie are quite silly, including the first murder on a subway station escalator (why follow him all around?), and the way the framer is so easy and obviously manipulated over his medical condition.  But of course he knows this, right?  And parts of the movie are fun, especially once the murders begin, and never seem to stop, as one bad thing leads to other bad things.  Not a great movie by any means, but it has its moments.  Sam Fuller, Nicholas Ray, and several other directors have small roles.  We now have a small host of extras to watch now about this movie.

Now showing on Criterion, from 1977. 

I'll be back soon with some landscape art from the DIA.

Mapman Mike

Heat Relief

It's minimal, and temporary, but today's storms have brought some relief from the heat, which has seen 8 days in a row of 90+ F temps in our area.  So far today we have only had 0.4" of rain--we need about three times that amount to ease our drought.  Some parts of the county get it, but not here at the homestead.  It's been unrelentingly hot and dry.

Dino has sent 7 images of his recent paintings.  They are all quite stunning, very bright and colourful, immediately likeable.  They represent part of his response to the virus lockdown, and mostly take a Nature theme for their subject matter.  I'll ask if I can post some of them here on the blog.

Deb has completed work on her most recent Yorick series, 7 short animated films following the intrepid adventurers on their journey into deep space to find the ancestors of the three eldritch rats.  The detail is overwhelming, and she has been receiving some very positive reviews.  Here is a link to the series.  Please feel free to leave comments on this blog.

In film news I continue to choose Fassbinder films, in chronological order.  We recently watched his 4th movie, The American Soldier, from 1970.  In addition we have now watched the first 4 parts to Berlin Alexanderplatz.  Soldier could easily be renamed "Awkward Moments in Cinema," as this film contains more awkward scenes than any other movie in my memory banks.  Fassbinder is still a kid in 1970, infatuated with American crime movies, and trying to create his own unique style.  He certainly has his own style.  There is not a lot to like about early Fassbinder movies, but the camera eye is certainly improving.  The opening shot of three card players is a recreation of the Cezanne painting, and pretty funny in its static way.  Now we know why the man is staring at his cards!  The ending shot is probably the most awkward three minutes in cinema history, conclusive proof that the director is not taking himself very seriously.  Likewise the maid's suicide.  The director stars as a friend of the American, just back from Vietnam, who is being used by our favourite corrupt Munich police officer (from two previous films) to murder other criminals, along with the cop's unfaithful girlfriend.  Hardly worth an evening out, at least we get to watch it at home.

Fassbinder's 4th feature, now showing on Criterion.  

Turning to the DIA for today's landscape painting, Georges Michel's Storm: Quarry at Montmartre is very apropos for today.  It is among my favourite landscape paintings, and I always seek out his works when visiting other museums.

Storm: Quarry at Montmartre, between 1820-40.  Georges Michel, French (1763-1843).  Oil on canvas, 28.5 x40", unframed.

Unlike previously shown paintings on this site, there are no spectators or artists visible.  Instead, we are faced with nature in the raw, on a very dramatic day.  One of the Barbizon painters, his work is always incredible and worth a long look.  It also harkens back to some of the very best Dutch landscapes from the 17th C.  Below are 4 details.

 Mapman Mike

 

Heatwave

We are in our 6th day in a row of temps above 90 F, or 32C, not factoring in the humidity.  There are at least three more to go.  It is also bone dry in these parts, as well as much of Ontario.  The only rain we get, about once every three weeks, is from a violent storm.  I have two sources of water for the birds and squirrels outside.  One is a tub of water on the ground, with a rock inside so mice don't drown.  The other is a raised traditional bird bath, whose water needs changing about every hour.  It is usually filled with several birds bathing or waiting their turn.  The Detroit River is across the street, but small birds do not drink from rivers.  Did I mention that it is hot and dry?  Currently 93 F.  And very sunny.  And humid.

Last Saturday was full moon celebration night.  We actually baked a cake after sunset, and saw the moon rise.  It's been clear virtually every night and every morning, with some scattered clouds during the day.  The newest astronomy session begins next weekend, likely when the clouds will finally return.

I have completed 4 weeks of indoor fitness training.  Our treadmill is capable of raising itself at an angle to allow for hill climbing, and I am now starting in on that aspect.  It would be great to do some hiking again, though our heat is expected to continue most of July. 

Our evening listening program, when the entire family gathers round the stereo (me, Deb, two cats--the tortoise is usually asleep by then), now consists of alternating the remaining Brahms CDs, the Haydn String Quartets (currently Op. 1), Corelli's Op 5 concerto grosso set, and Wagner's first opera, "The Fairies."   My own piano pieces are now memorized, and soon will need to be played for someone.

Work on Valeria proceeds regularly.  Two or three chapters remain to be written.  Deb continues to win accolades and awards for her films, and is just finishing up work on the last episode of her latest Yorick series.  One of the recent winners was Mysterious Barricades.  Next on her to-do list comes a Shakespeare-themed movie, with yours truly likely to be called upon once again for narration duty.

In movie news, Deb chose another early film starring (and directed by--his first time) Jackie Chan.  From 1979, it is called The Fearless Hyena, and features some weirdly funny martial arts humour, jokes that you wouldn't necessarily get unless you had studied a bit.  And it also consists of non-stop, high energy, very fast moves.  He must have had to learn about 30-40 katas for the movie, sometimes interacting with three opponents, who were using long blades.  A whirlwind of action, with Jackie's Bruce Lee-like upper body on full display.  At one point, a-la Bugs Bunny, he dresses like a girl to get at his enemy.  I'd be interested in seeing out takes from this film, to see how many injuries were sustained during the making of it.

 The Fearless Hyena, now showing on Criterion.  

And now it's time for the art moment.  The Detroit Institute of Arts also owns a noteworthy collection of British art, with an entire wing dedicated to it.  This includes two landscape paintings by George Wilson.  I'll try to cover them both, along with one of his prints.

Caernarvon Castle, 1744-45.  Richard Wilson, Welsh (ca. 1713-1782).  Oil on canvas, unframed 32.5" x 45".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts. 

Ignoring the odd perspective of the nearest water, we see a castle in ruins, much like the one painted by Cuyp in my previous post.  But the light is vastly different here, and we even see the artist at work on his painting.  Oddly enough, the castle was in perfect condition when the painting was done, so we seem to be seeing a theme of future possibilities, related to the transience of works by humans.  Ruins are still very popular with artists, tourists, and photographers, some of whom likely believe that their own world will remain intact forever, despite the evidence before their own eyes.

 Detail of the central canvas.

 Detail of the right side.

 

Detail showing the artist and the castle reflection. 

Tomorrow, Deb is off to A'burg to get her first haircut since mid-February.  She is just winding up the last episode of the most recent Yorick and the rats series.  Tonight is movie night, my choice.  Another early Fassbinder film is up next.

Mapman Mike

June Books

It has been a banner year for fire flies in our backyard, thanks to the one heavy rain we have had.  Still no rain in the 10-day forecast, just sun and hot temps.  I am nearly completed my 4-week indoor fitness program, which has worked out really well.  It's too hot to be exercising outdoors, so we likely would be doing nothing.  Low humidity, too.  Not New Mexico low, but really low for Ontario.

Part of our county is still under full lock down, in theory.  We are stuck in Stage 2 along with the rest of the province.  No word yet on when further restrictions might be lifted.  patios only for bars and restaurants.  But Deb got her long-awaited phone call from her hair cutter--she goes next Wednesday for her first haircut since February.  I do tomorrow for routine blood work, following up on my phone call doctor's appointment last month.

I am down to 11 authors remaining in my Avon/Equinox project, after four years on the job!  I started with 24 authors.  The remaining ones are Silverberg, Anthony, Harrison, Bulmer, Tubb, Williamson, Clement (2 more books), Moorcock, Ballard, Malzberg, and Blish  After each cycle I read a book unrelated to anything, but currently I am reading books by Verne in that space.  In June I began with Hal Clement, and finished the month reading Bulmer.  In June I read 10 books by Avon/Equinox authors, and 2 by other authors.

Half Life is one of Hal Clement's finest books, and takes place in orbit and on the surface of Titan.  With humans ill and going extinct, a group of scientists is sent to Titan to search for biochemical clues to what might be happening back home.  No aliens, no bad guys, just really top notch science fiction writing.  A good start to the month!

Next, I finished up Michael Moorcock's futuristic sword and sorcery series Runestaff,which consists of four pretty decent novels, though I found more like sketches than carefully crafted ones.  One of the main characters in that series is Count Brass, and next I begin a three-novel series about him.  He is older in the Runestaff novels, so perhaps these are stories of his youth.  The Runestaff novels are highly readable, and well-suited to the excellent series of graphic novels, which one can read for free at readcomicsonline. 

Rushing To Paradise by J. G. Ballard was also a big highlight of the month's reading.  This is a stunningly powerful novel largely set on an empty south seas island owned by the French, who want to use it for nuclear testing.  A teenage boy falls under the spell of a corrupt and insane female doctor, who wants to save the albatross.  Frightening and very bold, this novel would not be loved by much by animal rights groups.  T|he almost complete helplessness of the boy as he watches his world crumble around him is easily related to the author's war time experiences in Shanghai.  Fabulous but grim storytelling.

Malzberg's Horizontal Woman is another very, very dark comedy, as a good-looking female social worker gets it into her head that she can bring people, who have been in the system for years, back into the world.  One of her techniques is to have sex with some of the men, as she tries to raise their self-esteem.  While nowhere near being pornographic, there is a lot of sex in the story,as the poor and misguided worker gradually gets herself into deeper and deeper trouble.  I am so glad I came across this amazing and virtually unheard of writer.  Truly a 'rediscovery', in the best sense.

Last in the most recent cycle comes James Blish.  Titan's Daughter is one of the harsher books I have every read from the SF back catalogue.  From 1961, it is a grim tale of racism and hatred against test tube babies who have grown into giants, all part of a plot by one man to raise humanity to the next level.  No wonder many people do not trust science today!  The early SF days, especially the movies, are all dead against any scientific progress or experimentation.  After Hiroshima, who can blame them?  But Blish is on the side of science, and makes a good point that any real progress is going to be painful, and filled with opponents.  How true, dat.  While not one of his best stories, it is one of his more thoughtful ones.

After completing another cycle of Avon/Equinox books, I finally read the final section of Verne's epic The Mysterious Island, from 1875.  At 768 pages, I took 3 sessions to fully read it, one section at a time.  Now I know what finally happened to poor Captain Nemo, and what he was up to all those years.  Very much in the same vein as the Blish, above, but from nearly 100 years earlier.   A great man, misunderstood by the masses.  As to the PC game of the same name I am playing, I should be finished soon--nearly done.  Just have to get inside the submarine and drive off, I think.

Beginning the cycle again, I read Thorns, by Robert Silverberg.  A spaceman has returned from an alien planet, but his two comrades have not.  They were all experimented upon, and the other two men died.  The survivor was literally taken apart and put back together, with "improvements," then released to return home.  Needless to say he has some psychological and physical problems there.  He is introduced to a young woman whose fertile eggs were removed from her at 17.  She is the virgin mother of 100 babies, over 60 of whom survived.  She is not allowed to see them again, ever, and has been discarded once her usefulness has expired.  Together, the two of them try to forge a relationship, guided by a filthy rich man who gets his kicks from their suffering.  A pretty grim story, but quite well done.  A precursor to the author's Man In The Maze, one of two books by Silverberg in the Avon/Equinox series itself.

Next came the last volume I had left to read by Norman Spinrad, consisting of 4 novellas about a possible future America.  it is called Other Americas.  He's still alive today to see what is happening to his beloved country.  All four are grim, though they also have humour showing through as well.  One of the stories I had read before.  The only one written especially for this 1988 volume is called La Vie Continue, and is actually a decent summation of much of his writing from his most productive period.  Usually his novels are very long, so it is refreshing to see him writing so well in a short format.

I finally got around to reading the first Xanth book by Piers Anthony, called A Spell For Chameleon.  His whole take on magic here is completely tongue-in-cheek, but he is such a good writer and story teller than I can see how people would become addicted to this stuff and think it was as serious as Tolkien.  In fact, the main character, Bink, is so upstanding that he makes Frodo look like a common criminal.  Good stuff, but I seriously doubt I'll get around to all 40+ books in this silly but fun series.

The Lifeship was a collaboration between Harry Harrison and Gordon R. Dickson.  When an alien ship transporting humans is sabotaged in space, several humans and two aliens make it to a lifeship and escape.  The story is one of adventure and survival, but also espionage, a popular theme in much of SF.  Very well handled, though I have no idea how this worked out between the two writers.

Finally comes an Ace Double, The Chariots of Ra being one of the better entries in the Keys to the Dimensions series by Kenneth Bulmer, and Earthstrings, the 2nd novel I have read by John Rackham, who also wrote a few Man From UNCLE books.  The Rackham story is the better of the two, but the Bulmer story is quite good in its class.

And now, a pause for art.  The DIA might reopen on July 10th, but our border with the US remains firmly closed.  Here is another wonderful and stunning Dutch landscape from the Detroit collection, by an artist famous for his landscape with cows.

 Landscape With The Ruins of Rijnsburg Abbey, ca. 1645.  Aelbert Cuyp, Dutch, 1620-1691.

Unframed 40" x 55.5". 

 Detail of left side.

 Detail of the ruin.

 Detail of sky above ruin. 

I just received a long and chatty phone call from Dino N.  I last saw Dino a few years ago when he and Katherine came to visit us in A/burg..  I met Dino in Gr. 2, when he emigrated from Italy.  He spoke no English.  Through grade school and most of high school, Dino was my best friend #1.  He began to study art at Cambrian College when I was switching over from Assessment to Music, but he never stayed.  After that he moved to Toronto and we gradually grew apart.  Dino was best man at my hippy wedding at Lake Penage.  He got into the wool business in Toronto, and did very well for himself.  He is now retired, and called me from his e cottage.  He is painting again, and has promised to send photos of his recent work.  Really good to hear from him again, and looking forward to seeing his art!  We hope to connect either in Sudbury or Toronto later this summer.

Mapman Mike