Deb came across this priceless photo in the upstairs closet this week, as she was (unsuccessfully) searching for an older art work of hers. My Catholic school Gr. 8 graduation! I'm actually on Facebook with two of my old classmates! Vittorio P. back row, 3rd from left, became a Toronto area narcotics officer, and collapsed suddenly at his home on Christmas morning, 1990, as he was opening presents with his family. He died the next day, of mysterious causes. At 37. Vittorio was a good guy, serious, and kept to himself a lot. Very tragic.
Deb had her teeth cleaned and x-rayed on Thursday. Prices have gone up a lot since last year. No surprise there. It was sunny and very mild (52 F), so we went downtown for lunch afterwards. As usual, I sat in the car and read while she was inside the dentist's office. There is a brewery nearby, so I stopped in and purchased a few cans of ale, too.
Last Monday we had our first snow event. By bedtime it was coming down hard, and no sooner had my head hit the pillow than the snowplow began its ritual passing. From a snowstorm to sun and mild weather; I think it's going to be a somewhat unusual winter. Of course the snow is now long gone. It's interesting to watch the birds in full panic mode during the first snowstorm. All their ground food disappears, and if they are yearlings they have no idea what is going on. So I put out extra food that day, as it was also windy and very cold.
Earlier Monday we had an afternoon visit from Phil, a former student from many years ago. Phil now lives in Pennsylvania, but was here to visit his dad. Phil has had a rough year. His mom died in April, his wife left him in October, and his dad was recently diagnosed with cancer. Phil runs a music podcast that deals with Irish rock, a la Pogues, called Paddyrock. He makes a great dj, but the music is a bit too head banging for us these days. And speaking of the Pogues, this is the day after Shane MacGowan passed away, at 65. How he managed to live that long will always be a mystery to this blogger. We heard the Pogues live in Detroit many years ago, but Shane had been removed from the band by then. I would have loved to have heard him in his prime days. As to Phil, he will return after Christmas, bringing his two youngest kids along this time.
We have also purchased our final two replacement windows, for the back TV room. Once these are in, all the windows have been replaced since we moved in. No more cold air leaks! The master measurer came on Wednesday. They will be installed Dec. 15th.
In movie news, I will first finish up with Deb's final two festival choices. Her two remaining films were both Japanese, and both in the SF and fantasy genre. First came Princess from the Moon, from 1987, and directed by Kon Ichikawa. The story comes from an 8th C folktale, easily believable to have some truth at its root, of an alien spacecraft crashing, leaving one survivor. She is one strange little thing, growing in a matter of days into a beautiful young woman. The costumes in this film are to die for, with more yards of cloth used than perhaps any other period film. After getting settled on Earth and liking her life and the people around her, her friends from beyond (the folktale says the Moon) return in a spacecraft to retrieve her. there is no appeal, and she sadly leaves her human family behind. This is a very fun film, and extremely beautiful to watch. Highly recommended.
Next came a historical fantasy, based on the origins of Japanese civilization. Again there is some mighty fine apparel in this flic, called Himiko, from 1974. People who worship the Sun are in conflict with those who worship the Mountain. And so it goes. Himiko is the legendary priestess who is the only one who can get messages from the Sun, which she passes on to her people. An oddity definitely worth catching.
My leaving pic was Invisible to the Eye, a Turkish documentary from 2020. Here is the summary from Mubi, where the film was showing (it's gone now). Inspired by Eremya Çelebi Kömürciyan’s book “History of Istanbul: Istanbul in the Seventeenth Century”, Invisible to the Eye
traces this particular itinerary in contemporary Istanbul and opens up
an endless path into the multifaceted visual history of this
long-standing city.
It is a dreamy look into the city's architecture and spaces and people, as readings from a 17th C traveller's description is read. I have always been intrigued by Turkey, especially Istanbul. Just by pure coincidence, direct flights from Detroit began last month. If you are interested in historical views of ancient cities, you will find this film fascinating, as I did.
It's a rainy and dark Friday here at the Homestead. The trusty wood burner is cranking out heat. Piano social is this Sunday afternoon. Deb is working on her new film, and getting a lot of acceptances for her most recent completed films. All is well.
Mapman Mike
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