Today's title comes from a collection of stories in a volume edited for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series by Lin Carter. I am now in the process of breaking up that series. Some books are too old and in poor shape to keep, others I just don't want any more and they will go for trade, and a few, like the about titled volume, will remain for now on my bookshelf. Since moving to Essex County in 1976 (Aug. 21st was our 49th anniversary; we moved down here one week after our wedding) we have always called Detroit our main home away from home, and for many years lived within sight of it. When we lived in the Town of Essex we used to come to Detroit nearly every weekend, staying Friday and Saturday nights at the Millner Hotel for $20 a night (Can.) with breakfast! Halfway between Essex and Windsor the road climbs over a bridge and the Detroit skyline would be briefly visible. It was Deb who first used the phrase in today's title for how we felt leaving behind our apartment and school teaching lives behind us and entering a world, for us, like Camelot. It was a time when Detroit wasn't yet its cool self of today, but for urban explorers it still had plenty of cool to spare.
Since those heady days of youth we have come to visit and know many of the world's great cities, including archaeological ones, but there are always those I had hoped to visit but now never will. Not because I'm too old for that sort of thing, or unable financially to do so, but because these cities are currently lost to the world at large and will likely remain so long past my last breath. Of course Kiev would be one of those cities, lost to a generation to a senseless war. Another exotic locale that is currently in a hopeless state (for the same reason) is Khartoum. There is so much history there, and as it was the centre of British colonialism, along with Egypt, there was a very good archaeological museum. I say was, because the National Museum in Khartoum met the same fate as the one in Bagdad; it was completely looted and stripped of its priceless treasures and their context. Civil war continues top tear apart the county. there is really nothing left in Sudan to fight over, yet the bloodshed continues.
The most exotic city I would have loved to have visited was Mandalay. There are two reasons why that would have never happened. First of all, the country of Burma (Myanmar) is virtually closed to outsiders thanks to the usual military dictatorship. Secondly, a life changing earthquake last year totally destroyed most of the golden temples that made the city what it really was. C'est la vie.
In movie news there are two to report. We have also been watching Picard: Series 3, and are 7 episodes in with three remaining. They have already used virtually every TV SF trope, so I'm curious as to how they will fill air time till the end.
Pedicab Driver is a 1989 Hong Kong martial arts film that purports to be a comedy. Directed by Sammo Hung, it does have some hilarious scenes and quips. The hero is a very chunky pedicab driver who is also a very skilled martial arts master. He must have inspired many large size Chinese to take up martial arts. He can really move, even with sped up camera shots. The downside is that this is one of the most violent, bloody and sadistic movies to come out of Hong Kong during its heyday. Much of the comedy is ruined and forgotten by the unbelievable violence. Still worth a look just to watch Sammo (director and star), who is very camera-genic.
Another Asian film, this time from Korea, is Green Fish from 1997 and directed by Lee Chang-dong. This one, which won first director awards in Korea at the time, seems to be somewhat overrated. It is an uneven film that follows the haphazard life of a rather dimwitted fellow just released from his required time in the army. I'm not sure what he learned there doing his time, but he certainly did not learn any fighting skills. He returns to his family home, now surrounded by high rise apartments. He has three brothers, one of whom has untreated spasticity, a sister and a mother. His dream is to open a restaurant run by the family, but after coming to the aid of a young woman on a train his life takes a sharp turn. Because the man seems to have a rather low I.Q., his inevitable doom is foretold many times during the film. While there are some beautiful and very effective camera shots, and while the man's family is a believable group of misfits, overall the film tends to drag and lead viewers to many dead ends. The title comes from a memory of childhood that the man holds dear. Not recommended, and it is almost two hours long.
Finally, in health news Deb has a surgery date for her kidney stone removal. She also sees her rheumatologist this week. Deb has been flaring lately and needs to resume some type of RA meds. And my foot stubbornly refuses to heal. I am limited to short times of slow walking, something I am finding increasingly frustrating. I go for ultrasound later this week.
Mapman Mike.
