Vive la résistance Ukrainienne!

Hopefully forward thinking people in Europe are establishing a vast network, with the dedicated intent and purpose of supplying Ukrainian freedom fighters with food throughout this conflict.

Don't get me wrong, I want this to be over soon too, but not if it means Ukraine becomes a Russian state, and loses its highly valued independence.

I like Ukraine's chances.

Let's look at some numbers.

According to Google, Ukraine has a standing military with 200,000 troops. The last I heard, Russia was invading with 100,000. Now, it seems like Russia is the impressive juggernaut blitzkrieging it's way to victory, but I don't think that's going to be the case. I'm not a military analyst and I don't know much about Ukraine's army, but it has been preparing for this for at least 8 years now, and therefore likely has a working plan in place (as opposed to a country caught off guard like Germany or France would have been). So, Ukraine's army has been preparing for this for years, and they also have a huge population, almost 45 million people, if as low a number as 50% of them are committed to the fight, and I would wager 85% of them are fighting back, that's somewhat of an impossible number for a Russian force of 100,000 to overcome. According to Google, Russia can bring in millions more troops, but then they're committing their entire army to Ukraine, which will still have from my unofficial estimates, at least 22.5 million civilians fighting for their homes and democracy.

If 85% of Ukraine's civilians fight, that's an extra 38.25 million people facing unconscionable Russian aggression.

I know Russia is big and scary in one's imagination.

But if you crunch some basic numbers, I'd say Ukraine has a really good chance.

Vive l'Ukraine Independent! 

Cross-Stitch

Aqueous unposited

sundried submerged scuba surfeit

alertly entouraged cappella 

microcosmic mocha meta

decades past to chill advance

the doughty diplomatic stance

so much to teach so much to learn

the global interactive verve

dispatched disquieting results

instead stock thunderous tumults

lives lost who otherwise perhaps

could have discovered un/mismatched

serene sweet nothings grotto grand

to find a way to lend a hand

with friends and family trip twirl

communities across the world

what happened?

what happened to Putin?

doesn't he know the rest of the world used to respect Russia?

doesn't he know we wanted to be friends?

The Iron Giant

A peculiar friendship develops after a boy (Eli Marienthal as Hogarth Hughes) befriends a robot (Vin Diesel as the Iron Giant), who recently crash landed in the ocean, and has been living in the forest ever since.

Somehow able to avoid detection as it feasts on discarded metallic objects, it turns out it's in fact quite gentle if approached with innocent sincerity.

Not that it's been entirely unnoticed, unsubstantiated reports of its existence confound, enough to lead the F.B.I to investigate, and even move in with 'lil Hogarth.

Fortunately, a kind-hearted artist owns a bountiful scrapyard nearby (Harry Connick Jr. as _____ McCoppin), and agrees to feed the wayward colossus as they figure out a plan.

Life proceeds as routinely as ever considering the massive robot and the police presence, traditional homely bucolic beauty radiating tranquil peaceful life.

But Hogarth starts to play with a toy gun one day which the Iron Giant perceives as a threat, immediately responding with militaristic gusto since he's been designed to fight instinctively.

The artist notices that it's entirely defensive after cataclysmic disaster is thwarted, or that the Iron Giant only transforms into an imposing war machine if it senses imminent attack.

Unfortunately, around the same time the actual military learns of its existence.

And quickly sends in the troops.

And almost nukes ye olde Maine.

Aggressive and sensitive tactical trajectories bizarrely interact throughout, as the benefits of a defensive army are oddly lauded with childlike wonder.

It used to seem like we were moving towards a world without any armies whatsoever, but recent developments have highlighted the importance of cultivating strong defensive forces.

Most unfortunate considering memories composed of prevalent peaceful politics (banal though they may be), but the world's become somewhat less rational in recent years, and a defensive army therefore seems prudent.

Naturally, the defensive army shouldn't respond instinctually as does the Iron Giant, which seems like it would have been an effective deterrent, had it not been programmed to instinctually unload.

How a robot of such advanced construction is unable to tell the difference between toy and actual weapons remains a mystery, although the fact that it certainly can't effectively critiques proponents of robotic armies.

The Terminator 2 influence is strong, although the Iron Giant's only a threat when it detects potential danger, and doesn't have a mission to save someone from another Terminator, although he does save humanity from itself.

As a paranoid trigger happy solider shoots first and asks questions later.

What a strange children's film.

Wondrously tumultuous. 

*Almost threw this one away.

What an insane winter.

Things just keep getting crazier. 

With a pandemic still causing trouble, still preventing billions of people from living normal lives, war has broken out in Europe, and looks like it requires a bellicose response. 

But Russia isn't Iraq or Vietnam, they're a major significant threat, who's been preparing for this for years, rather than building bridges with potential allies.

It's heartbreaking to imagine what could have been when faced with what's currently happening, the heightened levels of understanding that could have been reached between Russian and Western communities, after communism fell.

But instead it's back to a war that requires a ghastly horrific response.

2022 - 1945 = 77 more or less peaceful years.

😿

I figure, that if dragonflies spend so much time protecting people and other animals from nuisance insects, they may possess other exceptional abilities as well, so last summer when one landed on my hand as I reached for a cigarette as if to suggest I shouldn't be smoking, I thought perhaps he or she possessed special eyesight, and could see disaster brewing beneath my skin. No way to verify whether or not dragonflies can actually do this, but I truly believe they can. It's about not thinking you're above nature. And playing an interactive constructive role within.

Knowing

Whether or not we're definitively living according to unalterable predetermined quotients, or caught within a random vortex which coincidentally conspires with in/coherency, remains to be undeniably ascertained, compelling evidence for both tempting sides as easy to come by as night following day.

But "determinism" as it's referred to in Knowing seems like the more profitable option, or at least has many more adherents manipulating facts and outcomes to make it appear so.

It's a safer bet to generally proceed according to paradigmatic guidelines, which can be slowly adjusted throughout time with enough variation to dismiss accusations of tampering.

Things may appear to possess the refreshment of novelty but in fact generally fit with a rational scheme, macroconceived to maximize profit without upsetting sociocultural structures.

Thus things often appear to be randomly orchestrating nothing in particular without taking notice, which a well-oiled slipstream then indubitably classifies as culturally applicable non-disruptive elements.

The non-disruptive elements are then historically categorized as if to appear like they're evolutionary.

Bets are made, profits generated.

If only to decipher the code.

In Knowing, a clairvoyant girl writes down the dates and GPS coordinates for 50 years worth of disasters, then locks them away in a time capsule, which is unearthed half a century later.

They're decoded by a grieving astronomer whose devout partner passed not long ago, and unfortunately there's not much time left before the entire planet is suddenly destroyed.

I'm a sucker for these kinds of narratives so I enjoyed it as they set about unravelling the mystery, bit of a drag with the catastrophic outcome not that there isn't the possibility of escape.

I was watching a nature documentary one evening where a lion caught a fledgling warthog, who was none too impressed with his predicament, and proceeded to assail the lion with cacophonous grunting.

Did that lion happen upon the warthog at random and were his delirious grunts the product of genuine distress, or had it been absolutely predetermined that that lion should catch that specific warthog on film, for others to watch?

I try to proceed randomly myself a lot of the time it's much more fun to imagine things so.

And I hold out hope for random generation.

Do Twin Peaks (the Original Series), The Prisoner, Elementary, Star Trek, and Trailer Park Boys qualify?

*Look at the Freedom Convoy. Was it random or predetermined? At first glance it seems most certainly random. But now both Trudeau Prime Ministers have used Emergency Acts.

Picked the wrong winter to quit smoking.

It's incredible how much crazier things are than usual right now.

I've often thought trying to coordinate a revolution in Canada would be the stupidest thing anyone could ever try to do, due to both geographic distance between regions and relativistic semi-autonomous provincial difference.

But it's like the government's currently afraid revolution's a' brewin' in Canada.

Strange times indeed.

Not going to start smoking again.

"We're not cut off from the world. We're engaged in creating one actually worth living in".

Sherlock Holmes, Elementary

I'm glad it looks like the protest in Ottawa is coming to an end. It's taken up so much media attention that I'm looking forward to an upcoming focus on something else entirely. It's such a shame that the coverage was so ubiquitous when so many athletes were competing at the Olympics. I understand it's a major story, but many of those athletes have spent their entire lives training to compete in the Olympics. That's a major story too, a once in a lifetime narrative for many brave Canadians and Québecois(e).

Part of me thinks we missed out on a chance to build bridges during the protest, to build bridges between different grassroots conceptions of democracy. I understand that the protestors should not have shut down downtown Ottawa for weeks, and I'm glad they're being removed so that local residents can resume their daily lives again (while receiving compensation from the Federal Government). Had they conducted their affairs in a less controversial location such as a park however, like the Occupy Movement, I would be examining the narrative differently.

I don't agree with the protestors nor with their methods but I support their democratic right to protest. The Right will form government again some day and when they do the Left will protest. Seeing how right wing protestors were treated by a left wing government, with the introduction of the Emergencies Act no less, will not lead a right wing government to regard left wing protestors with sympathy. Instead of building bridges in Ottawa, the Liberals and NDP have ensured that protestors on the left will be hit equally as hard if not worse when the conservatives regain power one day, most likely without hesitation.  

Perhaps I'm being foolish, perhaps they had to be hit hard, but it seems to me that the protestors could have been removed without resorting to the Emergencies Act (which currently applies everywhere in Canada and Québec). 

Perhaps the new world is just a revolving situation where the left will continue to harshly deal with protestors on the right when they're in government, while the right deals harshly with protestors on the left when they regain power.

That's an ugly situation and one you would think level-heads would be reasonable enough to avoid. 

But it's not going to happen in the immediate future. 

I always thought it was the left that strove to find reasonable solutions.

Not to demonize all the participants with shortsighted dismal prejudice.

But it looks like ideas that should have been forgotten, like the STASI and the suppression of freedom of speech, are still popular in left wing circles.

You can count me out of such discussions. 

And I will not support leaders who engage in them. 

Choco

Disproportionate engaged

varietals sardonic sage

emphatic increments presumption

bold auriferous compunction

speed bewitching flights frenetic

synchronizing copacetic 

wheedles whists wherefore wing-nuts

unflappable galactic gusts

adjustments graceful calisthenics

microbic manoeuvres manic

aerodyne illumed vivacious

soaring meteoric spacious

what a shame to have to land

with infinitesimal goddamn

comparatives sly interstitial

diagnostic rubrict crystal

quarterlies.

Men with Brooms

In a fit of hopeless anguish a skip abandons his agile team, to roam the wilds of Northern Canada and Québec in a fruitless wayward daze (Paul Gross as ____ Cutter). 

But the rocks he had discarded within isolated aqueous depths, are miraculously discovered by his old school hands-on coach (James B. Douglas as Donald Foley).

Unfortunately, the act of discovery inflicts a devastating wound, otherwise known as a crise cardiaque, his surviving family forlorn and crushed.

But their genuine heartfelt grieving finds sincere communal support, and the very same itinerant skip suddenly returns from his mournful travels.

It soon becomes apparent that the desire to curl still proudly dominates, their cheeky resolute bucolic daring fortuitous insurmountable spirit.

Ashaméd young Cutter hears the call and asks his father for nimble aid (Leslie Neilsen as Gordon Cutter), the reliable team boldly reassembled to seek out unheralded victory.

Applauding damsels supply convivial radiant luminous supple backing, Cutter Jr. finding himself caught between a bonafide astronaut (Michelle Nolden as _____ Foley) and her comic sister (Molly Parker as ____ Foley).  

Like they've put the band back together they set out to resurgently compete.

Others awaiting their brave contention. 

Across the wilds of Québec and Canada.

I remember catching a Brier in my youth on TSN one frosty weekend, and I loved how every province and territory had sent a team there to compete. 

I loved how 'lil P.E.I suddenly held an equal footing with larger jurisdictions, and had the chance to potentially upset much more heavily populated provincial opponents. 

But even more so it seemed to me that many of the competitors may have come from small towns, without the wealth or social standing oft attributed to skiing (you can even play if you're overweight!).

I liked how teams perhaps from Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Gravenhurst, or Rimouski, had perhaps defeated rivals from Toronto or Vancouver to resoundingly compete for the coveted Brier.

Needless to say, I was even more enthusiastic to apply such a thought to rinks competing at the Olympics, and have always paid attention since to see if our curlers at least took out Russia and the States.

Men with Brooms comedically captures such thoughts in a raw salute to a passionate game.

If you've never watched curling, you should check it out.

There's solid competition at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (and elsewhere) as well.

Glad to hear Canada and Québec won the gold medal in women's hockey!

Outstanding!

Sad to hear the Canadian and Québecois men won't be winning gold in hockey at the Winter Olympics this year.

Ah well. One elimination game got away from them.

If it had been a 7 game series, there's no doubt in my mind that Canada and Québec would have won!

It'd be cool to have a farm where you just grew crops to feed local wildlife.

It would almost be worth being ambitious.

Ski Patrol

A dependable crew gathers once more with the intent of facilitating safety, thoroughly concerned with bucolic camaraderie and old school resilient friendship.

Their trusty leaders are full of welcome as the new sought after season begins, the team strengthening its agile bonds with animate allied airtight adaptations. 

But trouble is brewing upon the slopes as crookedly conjured within the town, a local magnate hoping to acquire the resort's lease from the park authority.

Loveable Pops (Ray Walston) has managed the summits for decades with bold reliability, ship shape and tried and true yet still supportive of unorthodox thinking.

Mr. Maris (Martin Mull) indeed thinks he's soft because he gets along well with his staff, and mistakes trustworthy understanding for misguided glib incompetence. 

He convinces a local ski pro to cruelly engage in duplicitous sabotage, and he scandalously sets about ensuring equipment will no longer function.

Law enforcement is there to note when haywire happenstance hawks holistic, disquietingly keeping swooping track of each maladroit infraction. 

Things look grim distress piles up laidback cohesion flexed in jeopardy.

But age-old time-honoured testaments still transact with tactile turbulence. 

But such a synopsis perhaps exaggerates Ski Patrol's dire inherent conflict, without promoting the rambunctious antics festively erupting with carefree vigour.

The film may contain macromachinations which frenetically fuel financial frolics, but you can also count on extensive celebration un/ceremoniously accumulating.

Every 15 minutes or so an inspired fresh salute to improvisation, passionately serenades le joie de vivre with acrobatic lithe ir/relevancy. 

Never spent too much time myself engaged in alpine amusements, on skis in the winter anyways, didn't really start embracing winter again until recently.

But you get so much more out of the year if you remain active in January through March, and there's still so much to do, if you dress warmly, and come prepared.

It's really amazing what so many athletes get up to in the wintertime, suppose I'm more into snowshoes myself, but wow, the Winter Olympics impress.

As does ye olde Ski Patrol at times with its lack of pretension and freeflowing humour.

Liberating to be shenanigan prone.

When the world isn't so strict and serious. 

Tough not having any football to look forward to for months.

But the CFL will be starting up before you know it, hopefully in June this year (preseason)!

Well, the Super Bowl didn't end as smoothly as one might have hoped last night, but I have to admit, when I'm disappointed that the Bengals lost, I think, it's still pretty cool that the Rams won, and feel great.

Note: I prefer the Chargers. 

If I'm not mistaken, that's 3 Super Bowls the Bengals have lost when they'd been winning late in the fourth quarter, to a team from the NFC West.

My heart goes out to Cincinnati Bengals fans.

Tough year for tiger-themed professional football franchises.

I was so hoping the same thing that happened to Hamilton wouldn't happen to Cincinnati.

What a drag.

Odd officiating.

Went for a walk today for the first time in a while.

I haven't been walking as much since I quit smoking because I used to love smoking so much while walking.

But today I figured I should go for a walk in support of tonight's Bengals Super Bowl game.

Since people cheering for the Bengals around the world are likely engaging in feats of strength today, in order to create a widespread spiritual continuum promoting fierce good fortune, I didn't turn around when I saw the path was a sheet of ice, and that I'd have to follow that slippery sheet for about two-and-a-half kms. 

I went for a long walk down Saint-Denis the last time the Broncos won the Super Bowl, and I thought a similar action was in order to support the Bengals. 

Had to bushwack it a bit at times. 

But it was fun.

I felt hardcore.

Go Bengals!

Sierra

Longstanding dedicated service

unrewarded fortunes curséd

sudden shocking interchange

prosperity reentertained

demands undaunted doughty dorsal

seasoned jurididic morsel

jivin' juke gin January

vital vast vivacious varied

rookie resonance retracted

nimble convalescent captive

patient perspicacious renown

rubicon resurgent rebound

sophomore synergies surpassing

expectations everlasting

wondrous wizardry wherefore

eternal promontories 'dorned

didactic.

Super Bowl Pick

Los Angeles Rams/Cincinnati Bengals: this is a rare treat, two teams who have never won the Super Bowl before rarely meet in the big game, depending on how far you go back, I love it when this happens, in the CFL you don't have to wait two weeks! You would in fact have to go back to January 30th, 2000, to find the last two teams who had never won the Super Bowl facing each other in the big game, the Tennessee Titans vs. the St. Louis Rams, the Rams barely emerging victorious. Now, it's true that the Rams organization has won the Super Bowl before but they've never won it in L.A, I therefore accept that the organization has won the Super Bowl, but that win was in St. Louis. I doubt many L.A Rams fans care much about the old school St. Louis win, and eagerly want to see their team emerge victorious while playing in the City of Angels. I certainly don't count it as a Super Bowl win for Los Angeles, I count it as a Rams Super Bowl win that means more for the owners and residents of St. Louis than it does for fans in California. Thus, for me, every time a team moves to a new city (or back to one where they previously played) they have to win the Super Bowl again (unless they won it in that city before like Oakland) before I'll officially count that city as having won the Super Bowl, thus the Las Vegas Raiders have never won the Super Bowl, and have their work cut out for them. But that's just (perhaps irritating) semantics and I don't want them to get in the way of the fun, Cincinnati versus the L.A Rams in the Super Bowl is amazing, I can't wait to watch the game. The Bengals are playing for their third week in a row on the road against a team they've never met in the postseason, who's playing at home and likely favoured to win: it's a familiar narrative for feisty Bengals fans. Cincinnati still has yet to unleash its full potential this postseason. I'm hoping it happens this Sunday.  I imagine the Rams will put up a fight. I've seen it happen in the NHL where a solid player switches teams late in his career, in search of Stanley Cup victory on another team who has more of a shot (thinking of Raymond Bourque). But an NFL quarterback who plays his entire career with one struggling team and then moves to another and makes it to the Super Bowl, I don't think I've ever seen that, I don't recall that ever happening since I started paying attention to football (I don't know who Chicago's quarterback was when they played Indianapolis in the Super Bowl). Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Kurt Warner moved to different teams and competed for Super Bowl victory, but they had spent their careers with winning teams and had all won the Super Bowl before moving on. Thus, I think on an individual player basis, it would be amazing if L.A won, to see Matthew Stafford playing in his first Super Bowl is a wonderful thing, and he's playing well, too good for San Francisco's defence. But from the perspective of a loyal small market city who's struggled for decades to achieve Super Bowl victory, while Pittsburgh has won so many times and had so much postseason success, I still think I'd rather see the Bengals win, and am once again picking Cincinnati. But really, this is a wonderful year and there's so much to cheer for on both sides of the ball. Hoping it's an incredible game. Watch out for the resilient Von Miller!  

Uptown Saturday Night

The allure of chic amenities tantalizes a bold cab driver (_____ ______ as Wardell Franklin), but he needs an earnest wingperson to attempt to gain entry into the club.

Mr. Jackson (Sidney Poitier) has reservations concerning the somewhat elevated price tag, but he also can't deny he's curious, and doesn't want to disappoint his friend.

Their clever ruse proves rather prosperous the following adventurous Saturday night, but just as they're joyfully raking it in, several thugs crookedly come a' callin'.

Disillusion lugubriously abounds but even more so the very next day, when Jackson discovers he's won the lottery, and the winning ticket's in his wallet.

While he had reservations about the club, the massive payload generates audacity, and he decides to search for the thieving no-goodniks, in the unfamiliar underground. 

Franklin comes along for the ride and after a private detective exasperates their frustration (Richard Pryor as Sharp Eye Washington), it's off to question notorious phenoms with a plan as blunt as it is distressing.

But fate rewards them for embracing daring and soon they've found a compelling lead, even found the individuals responsible, an enormous return without much of an effort.

They find themselves enabling the brokerage of a new criminal partnership for their troubles, which even leads to a game of baseball, at a local church BBQ.

Hapless celebrity serendipitous success with a lack of consideration for the resonant danger, Sidney Poitier's Uptown Saturday Night placates stilted severe stresses.

Ye olde versatile implausibility efficiently achieving herculean goals, without letting disputatious doubts defile their frank dissimulation.

Like the bumbling Inspector Clouseau or the maladroit MacGruber, Jackson and Franklin find working solutions to problems they never wished they'd had.

The absurd situations generate levity which in turn manufacture humour, as humble laidback domestic reticence embraces virile volatility.

Some of the additional plot devices contemporary audiences take for granted (security at the club, others searching for the stolen goods), may be difficult to find within the film, but there's still a pioneering sense of improvised good fortune which characteristically excels.

Probably wouldn't have gone to such lengths myself but who's to say what's to be done?

Didn't know Sidney Poitier directed so many films.

What a career.

What a lifetime. 

Sci-Fi lovin'.

Nothin' like Sci-Fi romance.

Cool to see so many Canadian and Québecois athletes doing well at the winter Olympics in Beijing!

Go team Canada and Québec!

🎿🥌🏒🏂

No Way Out

Senseless racist irrationality destructively wallowing away, after an African American doctor (Sidney Poitier as Dr. Luther Brooks) attempts to save a life, and his truly sick patient passes.

The doctor just joined the profession having recently passed a requisite exam, and even though he's confident enough to make decisions, he still seeks guidance from established professionals. 

When his patient arrived the other night Dr. Brooks didn't have much time to make the call, Mr. Biddle (Dick Paxton as Johnny Biddle) had been shot during an attempted robbery, and was desperately clinging to life.

Dr. Brooks made a call nevertheless which the patient's brother attentively witnessed (Richard Widmark), after tormenting the humble doctor because he was born with black skin.

After the patient passed, another doctor appeared in the room (Stephen McNally as Dr. Dan Wharton), and Dr. Brooks honestly stated he was confident he made the right decision, but unfortunately could have been mistaken.

The volatile brother heard their conversation and reacted with racist venom, claiming his brother was killed due to incompetence while severely critiquing Dr. Brooks's race.

The only way Dr. Brooks can prove his innocence is to have an autopsy performed on the body, but the autopsy can't be performed without the consent of the surviving brother.

Not only does he refuse to give his consent, he also calls up his thuglike friends, and gets them to plan an attack on the local black neighbourhood, the situation becoming more and more insane.

And it's all because a bright student boldly determined he would become a doctor, and put in the necessary years of hard work and study to eventually attain the role.

Racism's disastrous stubborn ignorance almost prevents his career from moving forward, as someone too blind to see anything but skin colour goes out of his way to ruin a life.

Equal opportunity for every race and any individual willing to heed the call, objective analysis isn't qualified by a doctor's ethnicity as emergency medical decisions are made.

Even after Dr. Brooks proves his innocence Mr. Biddle refuses to believe, and with the resurgence of racism in the public sphere, the mass irresponsibility is most distressing. 

No Way Out highlights the pitfalls of racism with shocking language and blunt compression, I was surprised to see this film was made in 1950, I didn't think they made such candid movies back then (when dealing with sensitive issues).

Even though I think they're incredibly irresponsible I can support an individual's right to not be vaccinated, it's their body and even if they're being passionately foolish (remember how wonderful it was when they announced they'd found a vaccine! [with additional vaccines coming later!]) we live in a democracy not a totalitarian state.  

But if their protests start waving the confederate flag and they start preventing local businesses from operating, while irritating local residents, I simply cannot support them: I can't support freedom as it promotes slavery. 

I was watching an old show the other night, and at one point I thought, "where are their masks?"

What a drag.

😣

*I fully support the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of COVID. I also thoroughly detest that it's become so habitual that I'm expecting to see people wearing them on old school television shows! End this plague!

While I like scalloped, baked, mashed, and stuffed potatoes, plus French fries, notably poutine, I have to admit that my favourite potato is the stewed potato, the longer it rests in stewed juices the better.

🥔

Specimen

Candid crest colloquial

expansive oceanic scroll

imputed brisk fluidic frisky

bachalute immersive misty

effervescent breach astounding

verified leviabounding

breath sustaining lively limpid

shaves submersible intrinsic 

depths detecting pods a' frolic

resurrecting parabolic

asymptotic grade gymnastic

seraphonic strains scholastic

boating bumble titter totter

universes underwater

labyrinthine lotus lightning

multifarious enticing

Cetacea.

Notting Hill

Relaxed and calm a modest income something to do throughout the day, friends and family puttering close by refined chillaxed communal orchestration.

An amazing guy so easygoing so generally tolerant of diverse personality, capable of providing well-reasoned advice or simply listening with enthused sympathy.

No partner to speak of unfortunately his passivity perhaps sounding alarms, elaborate dreaming jocose imagination unaccustomed to the practical life.

But Notting Hill isn't actively critical of well-meaning culture and sublime compassion, William Thacker (Hugh Grant) isn't hiding a body in his basement nor is he consumed by some monstrous fetish.

In fact he's a genuine nice guy inhabiting a world that doesn't find this frightening, such an odd state of mature affairs wherein which the lighthearted aren't considered maniacal. 

How it goes at times, however, look for the signs, be prepared to move on, and if time passes and the familiar patterns don't reemerge, you know you've found something solid, durable.

William is surprised one afternoon when a startling lass takes a shine to his bookshop, they find themselves out on what is known as a date, and even seem to be enjoying each other's company (Julia Roberts as Anna Scott).

But she's a film star, a rather famous one at that, who's managed to avoid the paparazzi in London, as they amicably mosey throughout Notting Hill congenially disposed to romantic endeavours. 

Nevertheless, after Mr. Thacker's less discreet flatmate (Rhys Ifans as Spike) discovers _______ happens to be spending the night, he has something to discuss at the pub and the press come hounding the very next morn.

Uncertain as to why they've appeared Anna instinctually senses ambitious wrongdoing.

She's also rather shocked and embarrassed. 

World's collide, what can he do?

It's a light thought provoking illustration of convivial paradigmatic in/compatibility, practical realities spoiling the fun while patiently building rapports unprecedented. 

So long since I've seen Julia Roberts laugh universally celebrating something quirky (prefer it to Streep or Hepburn).

I loved Hugh Grant's line, "this is a very strange reality to be faced with".

The classic Anglo/American synthesis. 

Such interrelations are underexplored. 

I've become more interested in different kinds of tea since I quit smoking.

Although.

I still can't find any Darjeeling. 

Brady Retires

After all these years, Tom Brady finally retires. With both playoff and regular season records that seem impossible to beat. What an amazing career. What an outstanding quarterback.

I wouldn't be surprised if he changes his mind at some point, he's still athletic enough to play the game, and could easily challenge again should he feel the need. 

But why not retire, take a year off in Hawaii and pursue personal goals (perhaps much longer than a year). The philanthropic potential is high. What a career. What a fortune.

One thing that impressed me about Brady was that he never seemed to age, he seemed to be having as much fun playing football when he was 44 as he did when he was 25, he always seemed like he absolutely loved playing football, and that unchecked youthful spirit, was generally inspirational, even if you were tired of him winning.

For me, the highlight of his career was going to Tampa and winning the Super Bowl. He asked himself, could he do it again with a different team?, a struggling team?, and he did it, he made it happen.

Guess I'll never see him defeat the team I'm cheering for in the last two minutes of a regular season or playoff game again (it's happened so many times). Phew.

But there was a time when he was Drew Bledsoe's backup. 

And I eagerly cheered him on to Super Bowl victory. 

The Impossible

A family travels to Thailand for some much needed rest and relaxation, having barely sat down by the pool when a massive tsunami strikes.

Imagine one second you're seductively chillin' laidback at ease upon dry land, the next you're submerged underwater then gasping for breath as a wild river rages.

With no idea what happened to your family you frenetically cling to life, and try to orient your disillusioned vision with impassioned intense concentration.

Maria (Naomi Watts) suddenly hears a son close by (Tom Holland as Lucas), the two wildly braving the current to warmly embrace, the aftermath grim the once concrete environment aqueously scoured by peeps searching for loved ones.

Maria's husband (Ewan McGregor) has managed to find their other two growing boys, and even though all signs point to futility, he keeps searching for the rest of his family.

Maria's leg's been badly injured but she's found a bed in a local hospital, lil Lucas struggling to deal with the tidal wave of anxious depressing emotions.

As expediency raves and triage torments a family refuses to give up hope.

Cosmic forces of conciliatory daring encouraging bold rectified good fortune.

There seems to be a universal instinct that compassionately unites people when disaster strikes, the sudden emphasis on mutual survival electrifying prominent communal initiatives. 

Facilitating specifics within the chaos may prove generally disenchanting, but with patience and hearty reserve working solutions slowly materialize. 

A lot of hospital staff was thoroughly overwhelmed by the pandemic over two years ago, and they're still holding the stern front lines with resilient pluck and coherent balance.

In the face of the dispiriting fifth wave they've had to dig deep and reflexively accommodate, another round of logistic mayhem rapidly proceeding with disproportionate stress.

Since unvaccinated people are more likely to end up in hospitals should omicron unfortunately infect them, doesn't it make sense that they should seek vaccination in order to prevent chaos in our hospitals again?

By seeking vaccination, you're helping your community smoothly move through mournful wave after wave, and decreasing the stress on tens of thousands of workers who have been going above and beyond for years now.

Who knows how many boosters it will take before the virus disappears?

But without vaccination you're making things worse when new contagious variants suddenly arise.