Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

 The wildfire smoke has peaked in our area over the last few days, and breathing the air has become "dangerous."  It's difficult to see across the river, and the smell of burning is everywhere.  For several hours over the last few days, Detroit and Chicago had the worst air quality in the world.  So the world is burning.  Big deal.  I think I'll stop at McDonalds and get something to eat (said no one at Lone Mtn. Homestead).  Despite the bad air, Detroit carried on with its annual major fireworks display.  That should help things improve.

We had to visit Deb's lawyer's office today in Kingsville.  The court probate certificate arrived, and next step is to get the money from Lois' estate transferred to a central holding area, where it will be distributed among her three daughters, Deb being one.  It is not a very large estate, but a sizable chunk of money will find its way into our bank account in a few weeks time.

In medical news, Deb's two shots she received to alleviate her hip pains seem to have worked rather well.  She will report to physio next week.  And I have attended two Iaido classes.  Techniques are slowly coming back to me.  Being in good physical shape has eased my transition also, as I have not suffered any undue aches and pains as a result of cutting with the sword again.

In anticipation of the arrival of the new piano, we are redoing the flooring in the music room.  That means moving filing cabinet and bookshelf, both major undertakings, ripping up the old carpet, getting the basic floor ready for peel and stick tile, and doing a bit of trim and baseboard painting.  At some point the piano will have to be moved, too, to get at the strip of carpet underneath.  The new tiles will arrived in less than two weeks.  They should lay down easily in one go; then we can move everything back where it goes.  Then the old piano will go out, and the new one in.  I won't even talk about our outdoor project right now, except to say that the removal of vast amounts of poison ivy is underway, next to the garage and other areas.

In movie news, it is my film festival at the moment, and we have seen three out of four selected films.  All were selected from the Sight and Sound Top 100 list, the ones available for view on the Criterion Channel.  First up was a short film by Chris Marker.  La Jetee is tied for 67th place in the list.  It is not really a film, but a narrated series of still images.  It is a haunting sf story about a man from a future wartime living in Paris.  He is puzzled and haunted by the vision of a woman and tries to track her down.  He is being used for experiments in time travel.  Quite a good film and worth more than one viewing.  It seems to have influenced, among other films, the recent Last and First Men we saw.  Recommended.

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Also tied for 67th place is a short feature film from 2000 by Agnes Varda called The Gleaners and I.  It is a very original documentary picture about people who glean fields and orchards after the harvest.  But it expands on this theme, even following people who glean at outdoor markets, and who rummage in trash bins for food.  She uses Millet's famous painting as a goalpost, and goes from there.  Highly watchable and a totally fascinating film making.  Recommended.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Then came our second viewing of Godard's Contempt, from 1963 and tied for 54th place.  If you like to see Brigitte Bardot's bare bottom you might enjoy this picture.  If you realize that she has a fairly ordinary bottom, a somewhat tired looking face, large but empty eyes, and bleached hair, you may not enjoy the film so much.  She is in most of the scenes, so despite what critics might say the film is about, it's about getting Bardot on camera as much as possible.  The music is often overbearing, telling us to be sad and thoughtful often.  Give me Monica Vitti any day, and Nino Rota (and Marcello).  The film has two things going for it, though.  The first is that Fritz Lang is in it, playing the part of a film director filming The Odyssey.  The second thing is the location shots once the crew reaches Capri.  Wow!

 

Now showing on Criterion.

Coming soon!  June reading summary!  Stay tuned for this exciting event!

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

Medical Week

Deb had her third and final laser surgery today, and goes back in two months to follow up.  She reports being more comfortable after the first two events, and is hoping that the third one is the last.  Wednesday she had her blood work, and next Monday she goes for her biologic infusion.  This past Monday I had my 2nd and final Shingrix vaccination.  The arm is still red and swollen, but improving day by day.

February, at least the first half, is turning out to be more winter-like than January.  About 2" of fresh snow fell, with more falling in places near us, and even more coming to us on Sunday.  Nothing major, but enough to keep reflecting the sun's warmth back up into the sky, keeping us pretty cold.  We are still pretty much at winter average, which means it is a lot better than the past several years.  Last year especially, February was a living and ultra cold hell.  It could still turn downright nasty this year, but the closer we get to March the less chance of this occurring.  Usually by this time we are far behind on our monthly gas payments, meaning we have used more than we have paid.  This evens out during the warmer months.  Monthly payments are fixed this year at $97.  However, we are still ahead of the game, meaning that the payments will be cut way back at the next quarter.  It hasn't cost us much to heat the house this winter, so far.

Now that snow is back for a short time, thoughts may freely turn to---Brazil!  The Detroit Institute of Arts has a Dutch landscape collection worthy of an entire blog unto itself (they also have a wonderful collection of Dutch still lifes, genre, and portraits).  Frans Post (ca. 1612-1680) went to Brazil in 1637, where he remained for seven years.  Numerous paintings resulted from his experiences there, including this panoramic view done well after his return home.

 View of the Jesuit Church at Olinda, Brazil, 1665.  Oil on canvas, 22" x 32", unframed.

Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.

 Detail of the church.

 Detail of left side of church.  Love that arch shielding the large window.

 Detail of left foreground, including the artist's signature, and a well-
camouflaged iguana.

 Detail of central middle and background.

 Detail of right foreground.  Note the large snake eating a rabbit.

 Further detail of right foreground. 

There--I feel warmer already.  In movie news, I selected three short films this week, and one of medium length.  All were documentary types, though vastly different.  The longest one was called A Letter From Siberia, a French film from 1957.  Though extremely dated, it's fascinating to see material from the time that Siberia was just starting to be tamed.  A lot of angles are covered, and more than a touch of humour enlivens the proceedings, which are highlighted by some truly amazing photography.  I had heard of this amazing film, but had never seen it before.

 Now showing on Criterion.  

Next up was a ten minute short called The Beaning, from 2017.  Based on an actual incident in baseball history where a pitcher threw a beanball and killed the batter, the director turns the event into a horror movie, detailing the diabolical events that led up to the killing.  A totally weird movie, but pretty fascinating to watch.  It's hard to tell how one is supposed to react to the film, as the event itself is a real tragedy.  No doubt there would be viewers who totally believe this is what really happened.  Perhaps that is what inspired the film maker.  The film would make a good article and review for The Fortean Times magazine.

 Now showing on Criterion.  Also can be found on the internet.  

Lastly were two short films byMichelangelo Antonioni.  Gente de Po is from 1947, a lyrical look at industry and relaxation along the Po River in Italy.  N. U. is about the streetsweepers and garbage men of Italy's cities, and is from 1948.  This is quite a depressing film, no doubt showing how desperate people were to work after the war.  We are still watching films related to L'Atalante as well, including a documentary on Jean Vigo that is longer than the movie.  Criterion Channel is an amazing place in which to dwell!

Tomorrow is the monthly Full Moon celebration.  There will be the usual wood fire, music, some gaming, and a moon cake.  And Deb seems inspired to create a wonderful pasta dinner.  So drop by if you get a chance.

Mapman Mike