Still Dodging Winter Storms

So far we continue to dodge winter bullets.  The big storm that just passed us was a rain event, whereas further north it is currently an ice, sleet, and snow one.  Score one for the Homestead!  Our temps are chilly, and it is very damp, but we have been getting above freezing during daytime hours consistently so far (today we are way above freezing, till tomorrow).  As long as daytime highs rise above freezing, I don't complain very much.  However, next week and lasting almost to the New Year we are supposed to get a true blast of Siberian air, with temps remaining well below freezing for 8-10 days.  I strongly dislike those days, though my brother in Sudbury, by contrast, is cheering on the snow and cold so he can drive around in the bush on his snowmobile.  Whatever floats one's boat.  I prefer a mostly brown winter, though it was nice to see photos of Britain with people out enjoying the snow on their sleds, skis, and making snowmen in their yards.  It rarely snows in London, and it never lasts, but it did snow this past week, with the usual transport chaos that ensues.  We have not had sunshine here now for almost two weeks, and the astronomy forecast for the next two weeks is a grim one.

We continue to hibernate, however, and the Homestead programs continue as before.  My time is spent practicing music and listening to it, reading, exercising (2 1/2 years strong now!!), studying maps of New Mexico, and watching films, mostly on the Criterion streaming service.  And there is the Wondrium channel, with three college lecture courses always going on here (hundreds to choose from).  We also have weekly gaming sessions, and I am trying to finish a game for PC.  I'm also replaying Riven.  We could cross to Detroit whenever we wish, but for now the urge is not there.  We are happy at home.

Deb's main film choice last week was The Third Man, a film that is fun to watch many times over.  It rates #63 on the S & S list of best movies.  It is filmed with wonky music, and a female lead that needs a good slap to get her head straightened out, but otherwise it is an excellent film, about post war Vienna and the trade in watered-down antibiotics.  Orson Welles is the villain who is responsible for the deaths and trauma of many children. An accurate depiction of post war Austria, with four countries policing the area.  Part of the film was shot at the Prater.  We recognized at least one war torn area of the city, a church we had visited.

Now showing on Criterion. 

Her leaving choice this month choice was a documentary about the Ireland troubles.  The Image You Missed is from 2018, as the young filmmaker tries to follow the trail of his father, who abandoned him and his mother when he was very young.  The documentary is a confusing mix of the son trying to understand his father's life (he was also a filmmaker, who made the important film The Patriot Game in 1979), and a brief history of Northern Ireland's struggle against the British loyalists.  It isn't really good at one or the other, but there is some truly amazing footage, with several unforgettable scenes, such as a small boy trying to find something to play with near a bombed out overturned vehicle, with barbed wire and soldiers in the background.  It did well at festivals, likely bringing unknown history to Americans.  Getting a full understanding of what was going on and why can be a tricky business, but the film does serve as a primer for the Irish troubles.

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st. 

Following up on my last film choice, I selected Chocolat by Claire Denis, from 1988.  We have seen the film before, likely around 1988 at the Detroit Film Theater at the DIA.  I think the film has even more resonance today than it did back then, as the truth of damage done by colonialism hits a much more aware public.  Thus the film hasn't aged itself at all by telling the story of a very young girl (Denis herself) growing up in French Cameroon while under French rule.  Her relationship with the house boy is a close one, and she knows nor thinks nothing of racism.  He is her best friend, and also a teacher to her.  At least until mommy starts having strange desires for him.  The film is gentle, but it pierces the soul nonetheless.  Though the house boy (he is not a boy, but a very handsome and strong man) is treated well (they even say please and thank you to him), he is still not anywhere near being treated as well as he should be.  And the fact that he accepts his demeaning treatment and does not fight against it also shows his limited choices in life.  Of course he could rebel, but then where would he be?  A thoughtful film, and very well done. 

Now showing on Criterion. 

So far we have seen 2 1/2 episodes of English, and two of Interview With A Vampire.  Both are quite good, though violent beyond belief.  I have more and more trouble with realistic violence in contemporary cinema and series.  It seems we will never be civilized as the glorification of sudden violence is so much in demand by modern audiences.  So far in English there seem to be no decent people in America, only murderers, rapists, and greedy capitalists.  While that might or might not be a true realization, it makes for a very predictable series.  And with a modern vampire tale one might expect violence and blood, this series seems to want to outdo itself.

One of the ships I regularly watch for is called the Mesabi Miner, a massive 1,000' monolith that ends its journey in Duluth.  There is a Facebook group of Great Lakes ship enthusiasts, and the person who runs it lives in Duluth. Here is a great shot of the Miner coming into port in Duluth, with a few December kayakers watching it come in.  Due to gales on the lakes today, many ships are currently waiting in safe harbours.

A terrific shot of the Mesabi Miner arriving in Duluth, Minnesota recently.  So far this season the Miner has passed our house across from Detroit 13 times.  Those little ducks out there in the water are actually kayakers. 

Mapman Mike