Arctic Bomb Cyclone

10 PM Update: We had a partially sunny day today, and it went to 35 F.  And it appears to be clear this evening, though I wasn't prepared, so no observing.  Drat.

We are to receive an arctic bomb cyclone this Christmas.  I am hearing happy voices on Facebook today, exclaiming that we are going to have a white Christmas (why does Christmas have to be white? I much prefer green).  If only they knew.  It will begin as rain, then change to ice, then change to snow, and then to a blizzard.  A blizzard is a combination of thickly falling snow combined with gale force winds.  That should happen Friday night and Saturday, a time when many people will be (attempting) to travel.  On top of this will be temperatures that are not amusing in the least.  It hasn't gone above 0 C since Friday here, but that is nothing as to what is coming this weekend.  And we haven't had a sunny day in the last 16 tries.  How does a high of -8 C sound for Saturday, with strong winds?  Don't ask about the lows.  Welcome to the most southerly part of Canada in December.  So I do hope everyone enjoys their white Christmas, whether stuck at an airport or stranded on a highway, or at home with power out.  'Cuz all that whiteness is going to come with a heavy price tag.

In happier news, all continues to be well at the Homestead.  Medical appointments for Deb yesterday and on Thursday, and out tonight for the weekly grocery store run.  Randy G. is stopping by for a visit on Winter Solstice tomorrow, and Amanda sometime later in the week (weather permitting).  Piano practice is going well, with pieces about six weeks away from being presentable.  Bach and Grieg, a most unusual combination.  Deb continues to slog away at her latest film, a mini SF epic.  Our music listening program continues to be fun, as we discover LP records we have never played before, and continue with our Beethoven odyssey of hearing everything he wrote (we are just about to enter his late phase).  I haven't been writing much of late, but continue to read voraciously.  And the indoor exercise program continues, awaiting the day when I might actually hike again in far off mountains.  Sigh.

In viewing news, we have paused our viewing of English and Interview With a Vampire for a time, mostly to escape the extreme violence and blood.  We have started to watch a very old British series called The Edwardians, from way back in the early 70s.  Each full length episode tells the story of a famous person or persons from the early 1900s.  So far we are halfway through the 2nd episode.  No blood or extreme violence so far, but we did here one "damn," though the man uttering it was soundly scolded by his wife immediately afterwards.

In film news, there are two to report.  The first is a real oddball film, fun to watch, but tiring at the same time.  The Wizard of Speed And Time is from 1988, and is a frenzied attempt to show a young stop motion animator trying to sell a film project in Hollywood.  It is very funny, very clever, and very fast paced.  Though a bit too frantic for this well aged viewer, it scores a lot of points in its totally zany style.  Recommended (it's on Youtube) for stop motion film and special effects fans.

Watch it on Youtube. 

My leaving Dec. 31st choice from the Criterion streaming channel was called Love Crazy, from 1941.  It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy, and begins with them trying to celebrate their 4th anniversary ritual, backwards.  An unwelcome visit from Loy's mother interrupts the festivities, and the marriage quickly unwinds from hereon in.  A very funny picture, truly worthy of the term "screwball" comedy.  The stuck elevator scene builds to a truly funny climax, among others.

Showing on Criterion till Dec. 31st.

Deb's leaving Dec. 31st choice was a bit grimmer, the Island of Lost Souls from 1932, starring Charles Laughton as Dr. Moreau.  This is one of the best horror films to come out of a very productive decade.  It's moody, creepy, intelligent, and degenerate, and came a full decade before the Nazis did their experiments on humans.  Of course the story is far earlier, by H G Wells.  Too much ahead of its time, I'm afraid.  A masterpiece of atmospheric horror.

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st. 

Happy Winter Solstice to all northern readers, and a very Happy Summer one to all southern ones!!  Our chopped woodpile is high and dry, and ready for action.

M.

 

 

December Blahs

The days of grey gloominess are here.  Grey in the morning, grey in the afternoon, and gloomy all the time.  For astronomy, December is the cloudiest month we have here in Essex Co., Ontario.  Despite this unwanted feature, we both managed to get good glimpses of Mars being occulted by a full moon on Wednesday night.  There were just enough breaks in the otherwise thick clouds to see bright Mars approach the moon, then pass behind it.  It was too cloudy to risk setting up a telescope, but we managed with binoculars.  We seem to have a skunk living beneath our back deck, and we kept thinking he was going to join us, but he (she?) never showed up.

Our Full Moon party also featured a lively and warm wood fire n the fireplace, using up wood from a tree felling project from two years ago.  It's now ready to burn.  And we also have a brand new pile of green wood to let sit for a time.  Nathan, our tree guy, finally got back to us after about 18 months.  He and his crew came and took down a very large poplar tree in our far back yard, a tree that kept dropping enormous branches at random.  So the threat to a neighbour's garage roof is finally gone, as well as a threat to me when cutting the grass back there.  We planted the tree many years ago, a tiny sapling that grew about six feet each year, until it became a skyscraper, then a somewhat dangerous skyscraper.

Also on the party schedule was the monthly opera selection.  This time it was "The Trojans" by Berlioz, lasting for 10 sides of 5 LP records.  The story follows Aeneus from his defeat at Troy to where he was given sanctuary in Carthage.  Here he and Dido fell in love, but he ultimately had to leave her as the gods impatiently called him back to Italy.  Dido was not impressed, and placed some wonderful curses upon the hero and his country before stabbing herself to death.  Some truly great music, with the lead sung by Jon Vickers, pretty much a Canadian musical legend and hero.

In viewing news, we finally finished up the series Dark Sky.  The series purports to be SF, but the SF element is pretty thin, at least until the final episode.  Overall, things move much too slowly, and too much time is spent of details of life that could easily have been compressed to keep some kind of flow going.  The story often just stops dead in its tracks.  The series is about 75% soap opera, 22% noirish mystery, and about 3% SF.  When the SF element finally comes to the forefront, it ends.  The series was cancelled by Prime.  But we have begun to watch two newer series: The English, a western on Prime, looks quite promising (an English woman teams up with a Native scout who worked for the South during the Civil War); and Interview With the Vampire on AMC has a very good sense of the period and location where it is set, with good acting, too.

In film watching news, there are 2 to report.  Recently Sight and Sound came out with their (every ten year) list of the 100 best movies.  Criterion then grouped all of the films that made the list that they have for viewing and streaming (more than half).  So I now have a nice long list of classic and recent films to watch.  Though we have seen many of the top 100 films, there are enough that we haven't seen, or haven't seen in far too long, to keep us busy for a time.

So my first choice was Claire Denis' Beau Travail, from 1999.  It is listed as #7 on the top 100 list.  It is a film about a small group of men training in Djibouti as members of the French Foreign Legion, and about their sergeant, and about their commander.  Filmed on location in the city and in the volcanic and salt wastes of Djibouti, the film would have wide appeal.  Women would like it for all the extremely fit and handsome young men, black and white, that are featured. Gay men would like it for the same reason.  Straight men would like it for the macho qualities the film highlights.  Though I am not a woman, a gay man, or a straight man who appreciates macho qualities, I still liked it.  So there you go.  Wide appeal.  As the final credits roll, we are told that we have been listening a lot to Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd score, from his opera.  Then the connection (however loose) is made to the film's plot: a sergeant who is none too pretty in the face begins to pick on one the most handsome men in his troupe, and is eventually accused of aiding and abetting his death when he is left in the desert alone with a defective compass.  The sergeant is telling his story, about how he was removed from the Legion.  Yes, the movie is quite good, and worth more than a single viewing.  But #7?  Really?  There are two more of her films on Criterion that we might check out, too.

Now showing on Criterion. 

Next came a silly comedy starring William Powell and Myrna Loy called Double Wedding, from 1937.  Hollywood's strange fascination with weddings continues here with Powell starring as a gypsyish wanna be film director who lives in a house trailer, and Loy as a successful business woman who runs her life like clockwork and by the book.  Is there any doubt that these two will get married at the end?  Despite some very funny moments, there isn't too much here except light entertainment.  John Beal has a very funny role as a mousy man.

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st/22. 

 

No snow as yet, and no drastic cold weather, either.  It's been seasonal, with temps below freezing at night, but rising above during the day.  Can't complain, yet...

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

First Bus Trip

As reported a few weeks ago, we now have a bus stop in front of our house.  Bus 625 only runs 3X each day, so it is a woeful service by any urban standard.  But I can catch a bus at 2:35, which gets me into a Windsor bus station around 3 pm.  With my valid transfer I can hop on a choice of 5 city buses.  I went to an area near the train station, and managed to visit a cafe, and then a brew pub.  Chance Coffee is a pretty cool place to hang out and have an espresso.  We often buy their coffee beans for home use.  It was a short walk from the bus stop from my transfer ride on the #2 Crosstown bus.  That ride took about 30 minutes.  So for less than $4 I can get to anywhere in Windsor from our house.  After the cafe I visited the nearby Chapter Two Brewery, and enjoyed a flight of samples that included their Belgian ale, a pumpkin brew, a Scottish ale, and a heavy porter to finish up.  I had about an hour to spend at the pub, and then it was back to the bus stop that would take me back to the Amherstburg bus.  Another 30 minute ride, then a short outdoor wait for Bus 625.  The 6 pm bus is the last call from Windsor, and if it is missed then a very expensive taxi ride will ensue.  The route is still very new, and the driver blew past my stop across the street from our house.  He managed to stop (after I hollered at him from the back) about 100 meters past it.  It was dark and he said he didn't see it.  I'll be better prepared next time.

This was a solo trip.  Deb stayed home to continue work on putting some of her mother's jewellery up for sale.  In addition, she was my back up for today in case I missed my bus connection.  But all went well, and she will likely come next time.  Amanda L is due in the Burg next week, so we might go with her.  There are closer areas to visit with good pubs and cafes that will allow more time in Windsor.  Today I thought I'd try a far area to see how things would work out. 

In film news, we watched one of four episodes of a documentary by Ulrike Ottinger called In Chamisso's Shadow.  Each episode is 3 1/4 hrs long!  I would never last the full 13 hours, though we both did enjoy the first part.  It is slow moving, with stunning Alaskan photography, some interviews with locals, and lots of reading from explorers' logbooks from the 18th and 19th C.  If the series wasn't leaving Criterion Nov. 30th I'd be tempted to watch the next part.  There is a large ferry that travels from island to island in the American Aleutians Islands in the summer, making 6 round trip voyages.  In Part 1 we get to go on one of the voyages, and this was a really fun part of the film.

Showing on Criterion until Nov. 30th. 

That was one half of my film festival.  For the 2nd half I chose two short films.  The first was Whipsaw, from 1935 and directed by Sam Wood.  Starring Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, it's a pretty light affair but fun nonetheless.  Tracy is a federal agent trying to track down a crack jewel thief, and Loy is his connection to the criminal.  Of course they end up falling in love--doesn't everyone?  And yes, they do get married, as if you had to ask.

Showing on Criterion until Nov. 30th. 

My last festival pick was a children's movie, Owd Bob, from 1998.  Filled with predictable children's book tropes (American boy loses parents in car accident, so visits grandfather on a farm in the Isle of Man; he is mean, nasty, and impossible to get along with; young neighbour girl loses her mother to cancer; grandfather does not want boy to associate with girl because of history with that family from long ago; good dog gets blamed for killing sheep, while bad dog enjoys a good meal of sheep neck; boy sees bad dog do the crime, but no one believes him).  But have no fear, since everything comes out right in the end.  Not my most favourite recent film view.  The acting is quite good, and the setting is lovely (especially the tram ride to the village near the farm), but the story is so routine and predictable that I was quite turned off.  Viewers get to see sheep dogs in action, over and over.

Showing until Nov. 30th on Criterion. 

Finally it was Deb's turn.  We tried to watch a brand new film about Weird Al, but after several minutes we both found it unwatchable.  Dreadful, dreary, and way too full of itself.  So she picked another.  We watched Shining Victory from 1941, and The Dark Corner from 1946.  The first is about a research psychiatrist attempting chemotherapy on disturbed patients at a private clinic in Scotland.  Of course there is romance involved, too, but things don't end so splendidly in this feature.  Quite watchable.  The second film was a Noir.  You can tell it's a Noir because William Bendix plays a heavy.  Lucille Ball adds a nice touch to this tale of a private eye being framed for a murder.  This was our 2nd viewing, but it had been a really long time.  Wait till you see the "Raphael" and the "Donatello" in the gallery.  Above average for the genre, and worth watching.

Showing on Criterion until Nov. 30th. 

Now showing on Criterion. 

Yesterday I got my 4th booster shot for Co-vid.  It was the Pfizer bi-valent shot.  Despite a sore arm where the needle went in, I had no problem this time around.  Deb got her flu shot yesterday, and in two weeks will get her 5th booster.  We should be all caught up until spring.  If we do travel then (hopefully!!!), we will likely seek out another booster shot.

Our nearly perfect autumn weather is about to come to a crashing end this Friday.  Winter temps arrive Saturday, and it appears they will stick around.  More news as it happens.

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

Autumn's Peak

 It's been a busy time in and around the Homestead, and the best days of autumn are slipping past.  We had four days in the mid to high 70s F this past week and weekend, and it was sunny.  A strange time was had by all.  Most importantly, there were three clear nights in a row!  Good bye reading program; good bye movie viewing.  Hello galaxies!  Today it's getting cool again, and it's grey and very damp.  I just went outside to take some photos, and here are a few of them of the Homestead yard.  Our leaf colours are peaking today, but I missed out on the sunny day photos.

Looking back towards the creek that splits our two back yards, from our deck.

Looking south towards the busy intersection, hidden by our trees.

Our laneway that leads from the front yard to the back. 

I won't bore you with medical appointments and such, but Deb has begun disposing of her mom's jewellery, both costume and the good stuff.  Yesterday she sold the good stuff, and now she is sorting through mountains of costume stuff.  Lois was a lover of bangles and shiny things, and gaudy brooches and necklaces.  Our house is still filled with her stuff, but Deb is determined to get it all out asap.

It has been a slow reading month for me as far as number of books goes, but I am still determined to finish up (someday) my main SF reading project. I am now well into my "free" reading period, mostly books still on my shelf (not many left!), and my thousands upon thousands of books on Kindle, mostly the Delphi series.

In viewing news, last week I selected 5 short films as my main selection.  The first of these was a very funny film by Gabriel Abrantes, called The Marvellous Misadventures of the Stone Lady.  It's a very well done animated film about a statue in the Louvre that goes walkabout, and well worth seeking out.  Next came a series of four ten minute or so films called Relic 0, Relic 1, Relic 2, and Relic 3.  Directed by Larry Archiampong and from 2017, these UK films are quiet and meditative, with unusual photography accompanying a narration.  From the Criterion description: "Larry Achiampong’s RELIC series moves between African and Western vistas as it ruminates on time, history, and colonialism."  We both liked these films, and recommend them if they can be found on-line somewhere.

Now showing on Criterion. 

My going away choice was called Dolemite, a blaxploitation turkey from 1975, about which the less said the better.  It had its moments, but very, very few of them.  Most of them involved outrageous pimp suits!

Leaving criterion in a few days. 

Deb's movie choices included the 1933 Penthouse, starring Myrna Loy as a gangster's doll  who helps out an attorney nail the killer of her girlfriend.  Fast moving and fun to watch, Loy is the star (once she finally appears), and went on to a great career of mystery movies.

Now showing on Criterion. 

Moving up in years (but still in b & w) came China Doll, her pick for leaving Criterion Oct. 31st.  Starring Victor Mature, Li Li-Hua, and Ward Bond, it's a war time picture that takes place in China, which the Americans used as air bases to supply their troops battling the Japanese.  Part of the series Hollywood Chinese, a survey on the history of Chinese representation in American cinema, curated by filmmaker Arthur Dong, we have now seen several of these pictures.  This one features an interracial marriage, and a child born to them.  Miss Li-Hua was a Chinese movie superstar, and this was her only Hollywood film.

Leaving Criterion Oct. 31st/22

Li Li-Hua. 

Deb also chose Ken Russell's horror comedy film Lair of the White Worm, from 1988.  It's about the fourth or fifth time we have seen it, and it's always fun.  There are some very funny lines, and some truly hilarious scenes ("Rosebud;" The Snake Lady emerging from a large wicker basket as a snake charming song blasts from the neighbour's huge speakers; Peter Capaldi piping his way to safety with a vampire policeman close behind him).  Definitely a fun film!

Now showing on Criterion. 

Mapman Mike