A few weeks ago we found a top flight gaming PC on sale, so we ordered it. Deb spent the usual several hours setting it up, killing off the bloatware, and transferring our files from the older PC. The new one has a much faster processor and a kick-ass video card. Except that over two weeks the system crashed on us 6 or 7 times. So Thursday it was back to the store with it. It has been sent back to the manufacturer for repair. We could have exchanged it for a new one, but decided to wait a week and get this one fixed, which would be far less work for Deb than starting all over with a new PC. So the old one is back in service for a while. It runs fine, but it is a bit on the slow side for some games, and the graphics card is quite outdated now.
Original plans had us leaving for Europe on Sunday and staying for two weeks. However, it was not to be. Deb took pretty long to recover from recent invasive medical tests, but that wouldn't have stopped us. Her breathing difficulties seem to be exacerbated by her new RA drug. And my foot is not yet ready for airports and London transport. There is good news, however. I am now walking daily again for up to half an hour, but still at slow speed (2.2 mph versus my normal 3.5 mph). Foot pain has subsided but is still present. The big toe feels like it is always sprained, most noticeable when walking on cement or asphalt. Despite the improvements I will still attend my bone scan on Saturday in Windsor. Anyway, we took a couple of walks near our local ponds this week, before the weather turned grouchy. I also managed (so far) 4 astronomy outings in October. I am very happy about that.
In movie news there are a few to report, including one that we saw a few weeks ago and I forgot to mention. Though Hollywood often misses the mark with big budget pictures and actors, we quite enjoyed The Sandpiper (1965) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. She is a single mom living off grid on the California coast at Big Sur, in probably the best location for a house in the entire world. She is an artist raising a 9 year old boy. When he gets into minor trouble one time too many, the local judge orders him sent a boarding school. It is run by Richard Burton, playing a married religious man. Of course they fall in love and all the rest of the Hollywood crap, but there are some memorable scenes. In one of them Taylor could be talking about herself in real life as she describes how men have hounded her since she was 12, and that she doesn't want to be tied down to any kind of normal life. We're with you, Lizzie! Burton's character, despite being happily married, can't keep his lust at bay when near Taylor, and the ending is a strained one for all concerned. This is a beautiful colour film to watch, and it does carry an emotional impact. Altogether very well done. And of course that famous song, "The Shadow of Your Smile" by Johnny Mandel...
A Chinese Ghost Story 2 is from 1990, with the same characters (and a few new ones) keeping things lively and pretty funny. If you liked the first one (we did) then the 2nd one will contain much of the same things. Good effects and the sad and tragic love story keep the pace lively and interesting, up to a point. Having seen two of these things, and knowing that a 3rd one awaits, I can't say I'm terribly excited. Still, there are worse ways to pass the time, and obviously a lot of stunt work and fun effects went into this feature.
Lastly comes Robert Altman's Gosford Park, from 2001. With an all star cast, it's kind of a mash up of Renoir's Rules of the Game, and the Upstairs Downstairs series for TV. It inspired Downton Abbey to be created, and is well worth watching. There are so many characters involved, each with their own mini-plot, that the pace is very quick and the time flies past (135' running time). The events take place over a weekend of "shooting", as a ton of birds are massacred by the gentry for the sake of a pleasure outing. There is so much story, given out in pieces separated by pieces of other stories, that one has to really pay attention to keep track of all the happy people (sarcasm, dear readers) and their doings. There is also a murder, with Stephen Fry recreating Monsieur Hulot as an ineffective detective. Great fun by a master director.
Mapman Mike
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