Even though the most severe warnings are now down for our area, it is still very cold (4 F) and very windy. There has been a constant roar of wind through the trees, heard easily from inside. Our power has remained on (so far), and the water pipes haven't frozen (yet). The boiler has been up to the task of keeping the house at 67 F. Our generator is standing by, as is the wood pellet stove (if the furnace conks out), and a stack of firewood is ready for action if the power goes out and the generator won't start. I've been doing three bird feedings per day, the only time I am outside. It takes two to three minutes, and by the time I am inside again I am nearly frozen. The river was ice free on Thursday, but is now thick with the stuff. Shipping on the Great Lakes has come to a halt until the gales die down a bit. Lake Huron was recording 25' waves yesterday.
We were spared the predicted snow amounts. We got 1"-2" of snow, instead of the predicted 6"-10". Squalls with whiteout conditions still hit us from time to time. The main highway to Toronto has been shut down since yesterday, and likely will stay closed until the wind subsides, sometime Sunday. Our roads seem mostly clear, but drifting is a continuous problem. There is way more traffic today, people zipping past like there is nothing wrong. Good luck with that. Hope you don't have a breakdown or an accident. Most people here do not have winter tires, either. Believe it.
We recently watched the first three episodes of an older British TV series called The Edwardians. The first one was about Rolls and Royce, and how they got started in the business. That episode was in colour; the remainder are in b & w. It was quite good, and also tells the story of why unions were required to break the power of virtual slave-driving business owners. There are no unions here, the workers have a 70 hour work week (usually extended with many extra hours), and the boss (Royce) is a workaholic jerk. However, he did get things done. The second episode was even better, about a British MP named Horatio Bottomley, who also started the publication "John Bull," influential in its own peculiar way at the time. The third episode was about E. Nesbit, the author, known today mostly for her children's stories. However, the story focused not on her writing, but on her personal life, which was rather grim, to say the least. But there was nothing about her being a leader in children's realistic fiction, and in creating the modern children's fantasy novel, where children of the day acquired a magical possession, or traveled to magical worlds. This episode should have been much more focused on her writing to be successful.
In other watching news, we viewed the 3rd and final film Criterion has on streaming file directed by Claire Denis. Called White Material, it is from 2009. It comes with two short features, one a discussion of the movie with the director, and the other a tiny documentary about Denis attending a disastrous (because of technical difficulties) local celebrity opening of the film in Yaounde, Cameroon. The film follows a family of five (mostly the white woman who heads it) as they try to salvage their coffee crop amidst an armed rebellion and insurrection. What could go wrong? Well nothing, if she had taken her husband's and French official's advice to get the hell out, now. But she stays, and the expected happens, like a slow motion train wreck. While the story telling is a bit off- putting at times, jumping in time and from character to character, overall it is an effective film and well worth seeing. Written by a black woman and using a largely black crew and actors (her camera man was white), the film makes several points about learning things the hard way, ignoring risks until it is too late, and even bringing up children.
My leaving choice for the week was The Hidden, a SF/cop movie from 1987. An evil escaped alien that looks like a giant slug gets inside people and makes them do bad things, like kill people, drive fast, and steal things. A good alien in the body of a dead FBI agent's body tries to kill it. He partners with a cop and they end up chasing the alien all around the city, as it takes over different bodies, including a female pole dancer, a police lieutenant, and a presidential candidate. Lots of dark humour, hundreds of ineffectual bullets, a fast pace, and some grossness add up to a fun film for adventure fans. Hal Clement wrote a two-novel series with a very similar theme, called Needle (1949), and Through The Eye of a Needle (1978).
More news as it happens.
Mapman Mike
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