Movin' On
...not to be confused with Move On, an organization which I have no use for whatsoever.
Thanks to everyone who showed some love during my recent loss.
The sting of Shiner's departure is becoming slightly more diffuse each day. As someone intimately - and consciously - familiar with Grief, I allow myself the freedom to experience it however it unfolds. If I've learned anything in the last forty-five years, it is this: In the pantheon of unhealthy human behaviors, the failure to acknowledge grief is surely one of the most toxic. There's no way through it but through it.
With the more immediate manifestations fading, the main one I'm contending with now is lethargy. I'm way behind on everything from email to yard work to home maintenance and whole lotta mundane bullshit in between. Fall can't get here fast enough - it's my favorite time of year - but at least I won't have to wait much longer. Time to start getting caught up. Sort of.
Even though I haven't been posting, I'm not sitting around crying in my Fruit Loops. Granted, sitting around in my boxer shorts drinking wine and watching television isn't much of an improvement, but at least I haven't been watching much bad TV (that's another post).
I barely noticed September 11th, which is as it should be. After several months of not smoking herb - the longest stretch since my days in the Air Force - my pretty pink lungs were filled with sweet, herbaceous smoke. It was a music day. Trane. Chris Whitley. Robert Earl. Helmet. And many more as they used to say on those cheesey commercials pitching god-awful compilations. Patriot Day, my ass.
As the cloud begins lifting, I look forward to resuming some semi-regular posting. Right after I mow my nappy yard.
Thanks to everyone who showed some love during my recent loss.
The sting of Shiner's departure is becoming slightly more diffuse each day. As someone intimately - and consciously - familiar with Grief, I allow myself the freedom to experience it however it unfolds. If I've learned anything in the last forty-five years, it is this: In the pantheon of unhealthy human behaviors, the failure to acknowledge grief is surely one of the most toxic. There's no way through it but through it.
With the more immediate manifestations fading, the main one I'm contending with now is lethargy. I'm way behind on everything from email to yard work to home maintenance and whole lotta mundane bullshit in between. Fall can't get here fast enough - it's my favorite time of year - but at least I won't have to wait much longer. Time to start getting caught up. Sort of.
Even though I haven't been posting, I'm not sitting around crying in my Fruit Loops. Granted, sitting around in my boxer shorts drinking wine and watching television isn't much of an improvement, but at least I haven't been watching much bad TV (that's another post).
I barely noticed September 11th, which is as it should be. After several months of not smoking herb - the longest stretch since my days in the Air Force - my pretty pink lungs were filled with sweet, herbaceous smoke. It was a music day. Trane. Chris Whitley. Robert Earl. Helmet. And many more as they used to say on those cheesey commercials pitching god-awful compilations. Patriot Day, my ass.
As the cloud begins lifting, I look forward to resuming some semi-regular posting. Right after I mow my nappy yard.
posted by Arvin Hill at 9/17/2007 09:36:00 PM
12 Comments:
I saw Pan's Labyrinth the other day. Now I get your graphic fellow in the sidebar. I kept thinking, now where did I see that before....
My, but that was a movie that didn't flinch from violence. It reminded me of the drama associated with old Europe and the depth of histories that bookwoods have.
Ah, yes. The Pale Man. My favorite monster. I could almost smell him sitting at that table.
There was some conversation about Pan's Labyrinth and other Del Toro films here, but I still haven't gotten around to seeing the others - in part because Net Flix has pissed me off (for as much money as I'm sure they make, I don't think checking the goddamn DVD for flaws is asking too much) and my mind goes blank at the video store. I really need to compile a list because I can't remember shit when I'm scouring the shelves on-the-fly.
Well, here's a short list that I enjoy so I happen to think it's good shit. In case you want to take a list to the Video Store. Or the lieberry.
I saw that you discussed Kagemusha, so anything Korosawa should be on there but leading with Rashomon, and going through the other B/W flicks -- 7-S, Yojimbo, Hidden Fortress, right up to Ran. I also have a fondness for the Zatoichi series (even the one from a few years ago wasn't that bad). The Zatoichis are just plain fun.
Also, there's a very nice trilogy with Toshiro Mifune about the life of Miyamoto Musashi. I think it's called "Samurai Trilogy". (I'm willing to bet that you might have read The Book of Five Rings at some point.)
Then there's the real stuff:
1. Z (Costa-Gavras)
2. Parallax View (Pakula)
3. The Battle of Algiers (Pontecorvo)
4. Executive Action
5. All The Presidents Men
6. Missing (Costa-Gavras)
7. Betrayed (Costa-Gavras)
8. The Bicycle Thief
9. Seven Days in May
There's a nice, campy little movie about Bosnia -- "Saviour" with Dennis Quaid. I remember that you've got a thing for the morose, fleshy girls of the Balkans.
I’m glad to see back Arvin, Trane’s Giant Steps still thrills me. Sometimes I just love to put that cut on and crank the volume up, awesome. Yeah Patriot Day, thpppppth…. Belch.
There was a guy who lived down the street from me who got tired of his lawn. He had his entire yard paved with blacktop, and then he spray painted his hand mower with gold paint and stuck it in his front yard as a statue. I gotta hand it to him, I loved it.
2. Parallax View (Pakula)
Agreed - great film. And of curse, being a native I loved the opening, shot at the Space Needle. :-)
I would also add two from Wim Wenders - 'Wings of Desire' and 'Until the End of the World'; also 'Map of the Human Heart' and 'Arizona Dream' (good luck finding that one, no US DVD yet).
Of curse!
Ha ha! Unintentional irony!
Oh, and before I forget: 'The Whole Wide World.'
Thanks for all the film recommendations.
Rob, if you don't have the recently unearthed gem, Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall, don't waste any time getting it.
Arvin --
I highly recommend "The Lives of Others" (translated title)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/
rc
Arvin, thanks for the heads up on the Monk and Trane album. That will be a top priority for sure. Monk has a son who plays the drums and has a small big-band which I saw live in San Francisco a couple years back and they weren’t bad. I sort of got the impression he was trying to cash in on his father’s name but hey, I can’t blame him. The number of people who can earn a living playing just Jazz is limited, a tough way to earn a living unless you like being broke and hungry.
Hey thanks for putting me on your blogroll, that was very nice of you. I try to write about stuff I feel strongly about but I am never quite sure how good it is without input from outside my own little world.
Welcome back.
I have a feeling that if Amazon decided to muscle in on Netflix's business model they'd blow them out of the water if they did it right, what with their huge customer base.
On the other hand I'm guessing the prospect of having to deal with customers on the phone on a far more frequent basis probably gives them pause, as they seem to be loathe to do that.
rc: I recall reading a couple of reviews for "The Lives of Others" a while back and it looked very compelling. Thanks for the reminder.
* * * * *
rob, think nothing of it. For what it's worth, I'm of the opinion "good" writing is authentic writing. The less one's self-consciousness intrudes on the musings, the better. Easier said than done, though. Personally, not giving a fuck appeals greatly to my Inner Punk, but, paradoxically, it's a bit of a struggle - especially being up to my eyeballs in Marketing/Advertising for a big chunk of my day.
* * * * *
jonathan: thanks for the welcome back. Sorry for my email sluggishness lately. I've been full o'social breaches (more than usual, to be sure) in recent weeks.
I suspect you're right about Amazon. I'd like to see somebody give Netflix a run for their money. No doubt, Netflix's ability to avoid direct communication with its customers translates into huge profits. It didn't do much to keep me as a customer, though. Sloppy bastards.
Post a Comment
<< Home