Monday, March 11, 2024

A Visit

 

A very dear friend of mine died around Christmastime.  She was a truly special lovely person and I feel the sadness every time something brings her to mind.

Last night I had a dream in which we were at a backyard bbq, sitting next to each other at a table, and enjoying the day.  Then I realized that she was dead and her being there couldn't be real.  

Then I was lucky enough to think that it didn't matter, to just accept the moment and appreciate this bit of time with her.  I was so happy. 

That feeling was still with me when I woke up.


Friday, March 8, 2024

Movie: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

 

Action and effects aside what I want to say about this movie has to do with the characters.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was a wonderful movie. Fresh, new, bright, charming. I rewatched it recently and it has held up well.  The match between Karen Allen and Harrison Ford was brilliant - they made a great screen team.

Temple of Doom was also really good.  Kate Capshaw was great.  Karen Allen was missing but Capshaw was a strong enough performer to carry us along.

The Last Crusade.  The match here was between Ford and Sean Connery.  Alison Doody wasn't given much to work with and didn't have much of a chance against the chemistry between Ford and Connery, not to mention Denholm Elliott.   

The Cyrstal Skull.  Lots of familiar action here, not a great plot. Even Cate Blanchett, while fun, wasn't exactly riveting.  But Karen Allen was back and the Indy-Marian chemistry saved the film.  We had missed her in the two previous films without necessarily even being aware of it.

The Dial of Destiny.  Films 2,3 and 4 had references to bits of business in the films that came before them but this film was just too full of them.  Lots and lots of action.  Lots and lots.  Lots.  Some of the quiet in-between scenes were quite effective.  I like Phoebe Waller-Bridge but there was a lack of chemistry between her and Ford.  I've read that Karen Allen was ready to do this film but somehow "they" decided not to use her except for a small bit at the end.  What a mistake.  It was so satisfying seeing Marian and Indy together at the end of Crystal Skull.  All that energy was there to use in this film and someone decided to squander it.  The couple of minutes of Indy and Marian at the very end was the highlight of the whole film.  By not teaming them for the film a huge opportunity was lost.




Thursday, March 7, 2024

Dubbing and Subtitles

 

I almost always have subtitles turned on when I watch things.  I find I miss dialogue - people talk too quickly, they mumble, the soundtrack is too loud, they have an accent I'm not competent at interpreting, and of course I'm old and my hearing is no doubt not what it was.  It's not just a matter of turning the sound up since that doesn't help with mumbling or very low voices and I don't like it too loud, nor do I want to disturb my neighbours.  (I have always had some problems with hearing people in real life, not that I can't hear the sound, but somethings I can't distinguish the words. Especially if there is background noise or other conversations going on.)

Usually if something not in English I watch with English subtitles and the original language. Sometimes the voices they use for dubbing are so totally incongruous with the actors real voice, and with the emotion shown by the original actor.  There are of course many levels of competence in dubbing and often I just try to avoid watching peoples' mouths.  

Occasionally I watch with both subtitles and dubbing in English.  With some shows it is amazing how much discrepancy there is between the two.  It can be minor but sometimes  it's like there are two entirely different versions of the dialogue.  Sometimes it's like there are two entirely different plots.


Friday, February 23, 2024

Boundaries

 

My drop foot is slowly improving but I'm still walking with a limp, which is very tiring and I find it has limited how far I can walk.  I find there are places and stores that are usually part of my daily walks that I just can't/don't get to.  

I am aware that my world has shrunken down over the last years and the physical area of the city I am normally active in has become limited. This is something that I think is generally true for people as they move into old age.  Your world in many ways, not just physically, becomes smaller.  Some of that, yes, is physical, but it's also psychological.  I feel less and less like part of the current world.  I find myself unable to really relate to a lot of TV and movies.  

I also have a sense of "my world" dying out.  Friends die, people that I grew up watching on tv and in movies die, authors that I admired die.  That feels like the world I lived in disappearing and leaves me with a sense of being in line to go.  And of not being a part of the world anymore but living apart from it, almost as an observer.

So I am hoping that the drop foot clears and that I can, at least for a while longer, get my physical walking area back to its familiar boundaries .




Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Vulnerable

 

My "drop foot" is slowly improving and while I still limp when walking it is less pronounced.  Walking in the outside world I get frustrated because it slows me down and I get tired quickly.  I can also feel a bit of strain in my right hip and I don't want that to become another problem.

I've been given some gentle exercises to do and told to keep my spine as straight as I can - don't bend over when brushing my teeth, sit up straight in chairs.  My home needs a good vacuuming, dusting and the floors mopped but I'm basically afraid of the lifting and moving that involves -  I don't want to make things worse or have a relapse.

I'm wondering if maybe the time has come when I can't go on doing my own housework.  

I'm feeling very vulnerable.  This situation has made me so aware of how little it would take for me to not be able to manage living on my own anymore.  At the same time I have to admit that I am in many ways tired of managing on my own.  I have many minor home repairs that should be done but avoid doing anything about them as long as I can find a way around them.  

I have two friends who have moved into an independent-living seniors apartment building and are very happy.  I am very attracted to the idea of not being responsible for minor repairs or replacing/repairing aging appliances, or getting the ducts cleaned or the heat/cool unit serviced.  Also having staff available if I should need medical assistance.   (Or am I just lazy?)

I am also a little hesitant about giving up owning my own place and going back to being a tenant. Yet as I type that I feel a little happy twinge at the thought of not owning.


Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Human Kindness

 

I had a sciatica incident recently and it has cleared but left me with "foot drop".  My doctor thinks that will clear up on its own but in the meantime I'm left walking with a limp and finding myself easily off balance.

What I have noticed when I'm out walking is that people seem at times to go out of their way to make navigating the world more difficult for me.  I've had people brush past me (which throws my balance off) I assume because I'm moving too slowly. I've had a woman refuse to move over even an inch on the sidewalk and actually bump into me on purpose (when I was already at the very edge and could move no further out the way).  I had a woman, when I was obviously struggling with my balance, come straight at me with her baby stroller clearly with no intention of slowing down or changing her path.

There have been people who have stopped and held a door open for me, but overall it's pretty hostile out there to someone who isn't at 100%.