Culture at Home

I ended up making a few adjustments but more or less carried out my plans, while my wife and son were away in Chicago.

I ended up bailing on Murasaki's The Tale of Genji.  I just found it unsatisfying on many levels, both the glacial pace and the fact that women had essentially no interior life of their own and were just described as men's playthings essentially.  I am enjoying Kennedy's To Ride a Cockhorse much more and will finish that this week and then probably move on to Williams's Stoner and then Joyce Cary's first trilogy.  So this is all progressing reasonably smoothly.

In terms of the movies I watched, I wrapped up Truffaut's Doinel series with Love on the Run.  Given how this was the last of the bunch and Truffaut was adamant there would never be more, I basically assumed he had killed off Doinel, though in fact nothing of the sort happens and Doinel just starts yet another love affair with an ingenue and he repeats himself yet again.  I can see the frustration that the character never seems to grow, but it might in fact have ben very interesting (if not a little depressing) to see what he had made of his life at 50 or 55...

I also watched the Marx Brothers' A Night in Casablanca, which was fine.

I had just read Hrabel's short story "The Legend of Cain," which was the basis of Closely Observed Trains, so I watched that and enjoyed it a fair bit.

Then I watched Bill and Ted Face the Music, which was pretty silly but overall entertaining.  I realized that I never did get around to watching the 2nd one (Bogus Journey), so I rented that from the library as well.  I found this one to be just stupid and not really entertaining, so I stopped.

Then I put the movie watching on hold and switched over to catch the digital Fringe, which was streaming until the 21st.  I think probably the most ambitious piece was Bannock Republic, about a First Nations' chief trying to decide what to do about the last remaining residential school in the Province.  While it sounds heavy (and there were heavy moments), it was actually a comedy.  I also liked Insomniac.  A few pieces didn't quite live up to my expectations, but that's the Fringe for you.

On Sunday, as I was waiting for their very delayed return back from Chicago, I sat down and watched Ray's Pather Panchali.  It does require a certain patience.  In general, I prefer Ray's films with a more urban setting and have quite a few to look forward to this fall.  I expect that I will like the 2nd and 3rd films a bit more, not least because they are a half hour shorter and have sections set in Calcutta, and I should manage to watch them this week.  If I am not mistaken, he has the same actors for the mother and father, but he chose older actors to play Apu for the follow up films (rather than seeing the same actor age in real time like Jean-Pierre Léaud or indeed all the characters in Linklater's Boyhood*).

I had kind of hoped/expected to catch another jazz group at Streetcar Crowsnest but since the family hadn't made it back from Pearson, I had to make sure I was around to welcome them home.

The heat wave is really a pain.  I'm wondering if it is worth going to the movies just for the AC!  The only thing of any real appeal right now is the action-comedy Free Guy.  The overall reviews seem to be that it is extremely derivative but somewhat entertaining.  I'm trying to understand if Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch is still coming out  It was supposed to be released last year, but seems to have been pushed to this Oct.  I'd probably go see that, even though it also has mixed reviews from those who saw it last year.

Overall, I was pretty successful in watching what I had planned, though I am a bit behind on the Ray films, and I didn't get to Midnight Cowboy or Taxi Driver.  One of these days...

Edit (8/25): I just pushed through and watched Aparajito and The World of Apu on consecutive days.  Definitively powerful films.  I guess The World of Apu was probably the most interesting from my perspective, but death really hovers over so many of these films.  And now I can rest easy knowing I have watched the Apu Trilogy.  I'll try to get to more of his films, and in particular the so-called Calcutta Trilogy (The Adversary, Company Limited and The Middleman) in Sept. and Oct. 

* I should probably plan on watching this film again, probably with my son.

Culture on the Road

Last Thursday, I took the day off.  I was very fortunate that the threatened rain didn't materialize.  I had to rent a car.  I probably would have done so anyway, as it isn't normal to take a car-share car hundreds of kilometres (even if car-share companies hadn't mostly crumbled in Toronto).  At any rate, I made it up to Danforth and got the car slightly after 8:30.  It was a fairly smooth ride up the DVP to Major Mac.  Major Mac had construction at several points, and there were many stretches that I found the speed limit set too low, relative to the design speed of the road.  But I mad it up to the McMichael in just under an hour and a half.  I was actually early, as the gallery hadn't opened yet.  I wandered around the grounds for a bit, and they let me in at 10:15, even though my timed ticket was for 10:30.

My timing wasn't great, as they had closed down a large exhibit of First Nations' artists, and the exhibit on female artists who were contemporaries of the Group of Seven, Uninvited, doesn't open until Sept. 10.  I may make it back up for that, but we'll have to see.  What was on view was still pretty great.  They had a much deeper dive into Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven than I had seen before.  This stays up for about a year.

It's always hard to pick what to show from a Group of Seven exhibit, but I'll focus on less typical paintings that I don't think I've seen at the McMichael before.

A.Y. Jackson, Radium Mine, c. 1938

Arthur Lismer, From My Window -- Montreal, 1940-49

Lawren Harris, Houses, Gerrard Street, Toronto, 1912

Given I live right near Gerrard Street, this was of particular interest!

The exhibit Denyse Thomasos: Odyssey was also open and this exhibit runs through Oct. 24.  While it was interesting, the pieces did feel somewhat repetitive.

Denyse Thomasos, Excavations: Jaisalmer Night Suspension, 2007

Denyse Thomasos, Displaced Burial/Burial at Goree, 1993

After this, I set out for Stratford.  My main regret was I didn't stop along the way for bottled water or something, so I was parched.  I ran into a lot of construction on 401 West, which probably added 30-45 minutes on what was already a two hour trip.  I probably should have pulled over when I finally made it to Kitchener, but I just wanted to be done with the driving.  I'm definitely out of practice, not having driven in a couple of years at least.

I finally made it.  And I found a parking meter on the street (I had another 20 minutes or so before I could park at the Tom Patterson Theatre).  The first Thai place I went to only was doing take-out, but the other one had outdoor seating, so I grabbed a quick lunch (and drank four glasses of water!).

I was running a bit late, so I didn't do much shopping on the main drag, but it was still a nice feeling that life hadn't completely stopped.

Then I went over to the theatre.  It's quite nice from the outside, and I hope that next summer I'll actually be able to go inside (and I really hope the Stratford bus is running!).

They were doing The Rez Sisters in an outdoor pavilion, which was fine.  I felt that we were spread out and there was good ventilation.

I think I still need another day or two to process the performance, but I'm glad I saw it. Now maybe next season someone will put up Dry Lips, which is sort of the mirror image of this play. Or even Rose, which is Highway's much lesser-known third play set on the "Rez." I will say I could really feel it when they kept talking about the six hour drive to Toronto for the World's Biggest Bingo, as I had two hours to go to get back to Toronto. (Maybe this wouldn't have resonated as much had I seen this in Toronto itself...).

On the drive back, there was quite a bit of construction, and when I finally hit Toronto, the 401 E was literally stop and go for long stretches.  I gambled that the 401 to the DVP would be better than taking the 427 and the Gardiner.  I have no way of knowing if that was the right call.  Probably both routes were terrible.  The DVP had very heavy traffic but actually was moving pretty well.  

I had to stop near my house to fill up gas, as I had used half a tank.  One small mercy was that I was able to drop off the vehicle after hours after all, so I didn't have to pay for an overnight parking permit.  And I was just so relieved to no longer be responsible for the car.  

While I was an hour later than I wanted, I went over to Streetcar Crownest where they have just started a live music series. I caught the very last song of Alison Au's set and then stuck around for the 2nd set.  

I may start going to this on a regular basis, but we shall see. Certainly a very eventful and cultural day!

Cultural Weekend

I may circle back and add a few photos later, but I thought I would mention what I got up to this weekend. I couldn't book any Warhol tickets at the AGO on Saturday, but I got a general admission ticket and checked out the Matthew Wong exhibit. I wouldn't say Wong is a super accomplished artist, technically speaking, but some of his pieces had a bit of a Van Gogh vibe to them.

Matthew Wong, Untitled (Hotel Room), 2019

I then ran across the street to Bau-Xi Gallery and then swung over to 401 Richmond. A few additional galleries have reopened, but it's still fairly quiet. At Abbozzo, I saw the new exhibit. I think Bill Boyko was the most interesting from the group show. In addition, they had signed copies of a book with all the plates from Naoko Matsubara's exhibition last month for only $20, so that was quite a deal.  There was also a fairly provocative exhibit called Everybody Rides a Bicycle in Heaven, which had a number of photos of the ghost bikes that are installed when a cyclist is hit and killed by a car or truck driver.  I thought this one was the most artistic and effective, though I would say that the more gentrification in a neighbourhood, the more likely that there will be traffic calming and slightly safer biking conditions....

Tenzin Dorje, Inus Goussard, 37, 2021

Sunday, I got a fairly late start after doing the grocery shopping.  However, it was a nice day, so I biked out to MOCA.  I wasn't too interested in the art on 1st or 3rd floor, but Spaghetti Blockchain, Mika Rottenberg's solo show, is pretty interesting and takes up the entire 2nd floor.  It does take about an hour to watch all the videos.  It's up for one more week.  I do wish more video artists would consider putting their work on DVD as generally I don't have time to stay and watch full pieces, though I can sometimes make exceptions, as I did today.

As I was so far west, I went a bit further to Roncesvalles and stopped in at A Good Read.  I picked up a signed copy of Findley's Headhunter.  (They had so many of these, they have them stashed in the basement!)  I hadn't really planned on it, but 1313 Queen West was open, so I ran in there and checked out some of the photographs.

It isn't entirely set, but I am going to try to go to the McMichael on Thurs, on my way over to Stratford.  At the moment, there is rain the forecast, but I'm hoping the rain either doesn't materialize or is just light.  Stratford says their show will go on regardless, but I don't want to have to drive in the rain, as I am out of practice!

If all goes as planned the week after that, I'm running over to Ottawa to see the Rembrandt exhibit.  And just possibly that weekend, I'll take the bus out to Hamilton to check out the Art Gallery of Hamilton, combining it with a visit to McMaster.  (So hard to believe that my son is getting ready to think about college tours!)  

I know this seems like a hectic schedule, but with Delta looming, I figure there is no point in delaying.  In many cases, if you postpone an event, then you lose your chance to go.  At least that is my experience recently.

Progress on Getting Back in Shape

I may have mentioned once or twice that at least I was able to fit into my old work clothes (probably because last summer/fall I biked in most days and I started again a few months back).  Then there was a day where the entire team came in!  (This was a fairly exciting day, even though it was done in support of an initiative that I don't support...)  While this is a particularly unflattering photo, and I usually look a bit better, it did make me take stock and decide I really do need to ramp up my efforts to get in shape by Sept. when more people will be back on a regular basis (unless the Delta variant really is ripping through the province...).

I think more than anything, the problem is not a lack of exercise, but snacking at random hours of the day.  I have managed to squeeze a lot of out life by not sleeping enough (and that in itself is bad for the metabolism but also it meant that for much of my life I was essentially eating four meals a day).  I doubt I can really change my sleep habits at this date, but I have cut way, way back on the amount of junk food that I am bringing into the house.  Also, while I am at work, I have gotten much more disciplined about having a very modest lunch (except for Fridays) and only snacking on fruit.

I am back to going to the gym three times a week.  I never enjoy heading over or even the first 30 minutes, but I do feel a considerable sense of accomplishment on the way out.  I'd say I'm seeing some results, but it is slow.  (One of the bitter ironies from 16 or so years ago is that I got mugged on the way back from the gym on a night I forced myself to go when I didn't really want to.  That put a huge damper on pretty much everything about Chicago and that neighborhood in particular, ultimately leading to my move to the UK and then on to Canada.)  Assuming things stay headed in the right direction, I might weigh myself at the gym in a couple of weeks and use that as the baseline to measure future progress.

I can't really fathom how out of shape or overweight I would be if I didn't do all this biking.  On the other hand, maybe I would have hit rock bottom sooner.  (For me it was probably 2017 or so when I could hardly fit into my work clothes at all and right before Planet Fitness opened up nearby.)  I think it would also help to start swimming more, which I haven't done in close to two years, though the last time I checked it was impossible to book any timeslots after work, and I don't feel quite right leaving work to go swimming, though maybe I should look into it more seriously.

Movie Updates (July-Aug)

I see I really have not been keeping up with this either.  Now my son and I haven't watched as many movies as I expected, in part because he had a summer job that kept him fairly busy through July and the first week of August.

A couple of weeks back I wanted a switch from what we had been watching.  I went looking for The Fifth Element, but just couldn't find it.  I settled on The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai instead, which is sort of the epitome of weird 80s films.  What an odd movie.  I will say it made a lot more sense this time around.   Hopefully I'll be able to dig out The Fifth Element fairly soon.

We have now watched all of Black Books Seasons 1 and 2.  I am sure I never got to Season 2 previously.  In general it doesn't hold up quite as well, though I did like "The Fixer" and "A Nice Change," particularly when Fran finds a cheap flight that has them transferring through New Zealand and then over to Stansted.  Stansted was my airport of choice when I was living in Cambridge.  Anyway, the characters are pretty horrible, cartoony characters (not all that different from Seinfeld really), and I am less in love with the show than I was when it first came out, but I'm still entertained by it.  I think we'll tackle The It Crowd next, and then just possibly Slings and Arrows (which is a series based on the Stratford Festival of all things) and then maybe Max Headroom and then finally Red Dwarf (postponing it just because it is such a commitment now).

We saw To Have and Have Not last weekend and Key Largo this weekend.  Both first time viewings for me.  I thought Bacall's part was certainly better in To Have and Have Not.  I was interested in what they kept (losing the fishing reel and the alcoholic deckhand) and what they changed (pretty much everything else) from the Hemingway novel, which I strongly disliked.  I have a handful of other Bogart films I plan to watch soon, but most I'll probably catch up with on my own.

Because they are generally shorter (and we have been a bit pressed for time), we have moved to earlier movies.  We watched 6 shorts by W.C. Fields and Horse Feathers and Monkey Business by the Marx Brothers.  My current plan is to watch Chaplin's The Great Dictator (though it is 2 hours!) and quickly follow up with Duck Soup and probably Animal Crackers the following weekend.  We'll probably get to A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera in September.  If I want to catch up on any of the other "lesser" Marx Brothers films, I'll probably do that on my own.

Now my son's going to be away for a while, and I think in the meantime I'll watch Truffaut's Love on the Run (wrapping up the Antoine Doinel series*) and Closely Watched Trains and maybe Jules and Jim.  And probably Ray's Apu Trilogy.  That is likely ambitious enough, but if I do have time I'll get back into the Kurosawa box set where I paused (which I believe was at One Wonderful Sunday).  Actually now that I think about it, I really should take this opportunity to watch Midnight Cowboy, which he's not ready for...

It's definitely a mental switch to watching more movies and reading less, but overall I'm glad to be catching up with a lot of movies that I really ought to have seen or rewatching some classics.  Now if only Tiff Lightbox or the 2nd run theatres in Toronto (the few that are left) would start showing movies again...

* I really liked most of Bed and Board, particularly Doinel's interaction with his neighbours.  And the weird American businessman (borrowed from Tati's Playtime) who hires him to run toy boats around a model of some real estate development.  I wasn't at all convinced by any aspect of Doinel's affair with the Japanese woman, however, and of course that drove most of the 2nd half of the film.  I've heard Love on the Run is a bit of a mixed bag, but it is concise (~90 minutes), which I do value these days, and I will be glad to have gotten through another classic film series.

So Many Missing Updates

It's too bad I kind of gave up on the speech-to-text software, as that might be the only way I can get all my random thoughts preserved on this blog.  Of course some things probably are best left unspoken (apologies to Hall & Oates), particularly after a series of nasty encounters with drivers on the way home.

Anyway, here are a few things that I should have discussed in the last month, roughly in order of importance.  (I may have to split this up into a few posts if it just gets too long.)

I didn't keep up with the SFYS site, assuming back in July that it would run on the 2nd or 3rd week.  Perhaps I felt particularly pressured at work and just didn't want to look until I had my piece ready.  At any rate, I ended up missing the entire event, which is very out of character for me.  It might be the first time I missed tuning in in a couple of years.  Oh well.  On the other hand, my entry for August was quite early, and I didn't have to think about deadlines at all for several weeks.  My piece is recasting one of the truly terrible SF pieces I wrote as a teen into a comic piece.  In fact I actually sent this in to a science fiction magazine, and gotten a form rejection letter back.  How different my life might have been if I had written a stronger piece and gotten more positive feedback early on.  (Not to mope too much about it but the writers of an earlier age, like Harlan Ellison, often discussed the detailed feedback they got early in their careers, but that was a thing of the past by the 1980s.  Similarly, the path to becoming an academic was completely different and much, much easier in the 1960s and 1970s than in the 1990s and 2000s.)  At any rate, I'm looking forwarding to seeing my piece, Tipping Infinity, done Monday night.

The Olympics are wrapping up.  No question I would have preferred the Games to have been cancelled outright, though perhaps they won't be nearly as much of a super-spreader event as I feared (simply because they allowed no fans in the stands.)  Indeed, that will probably fall to Lollapalooza, which certainly also should have been cancelled...  I have fallen very out-of-love with the IOC, which needs to be reformed, or failing that, simply abolished.  I think given the way they bully countries around is despicable, and the hype and outsized carbon footprint really makes the Games something I will never be able to support, ever again.  That said, I ended up reading far more stories about the Games than I expected.  To some degree it was inescapable, given the way on-line news is structured now.  I did like the U Michigan connection I have with the Canadian swimmer and gold medalist, Maggie MacNeil.  I'm sure she will be featured heavily in the next alumni magazine...

I'm very relieved Bob Odenkirk seems to be recovering well.  That was quite a scare he had.  Coincidentally, I have finally been trying to get caught up Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.  I'm actually debating whether I should alternate seasons, though I think I'd have to start with Breaking Bad Season One, and then I'll have an extra season of Better Call Saul at the end (of course who knows when it will actually air and then when will the DVDs show up at the library...).  I've been having terrible trouble with the library copies of Better Call Saul Season One.  Disc 1 is always scratched and skips, so I am still waiting on a clean (enough) copy.

I guess things are slowly returning to normal, but much slower than I would like.  I was really hoping more cultural events would be on.  In particular, I was really hoping that the Bard on the Bus tour would happen this summer, but it is cancelled again.  I'm just not that interested in the High Park events and there seems to be literally nothing going on in Withrow Park, aside from the farmers' market.  I wasn't going to, but got so desperate for any culture that I am renting a car to go see The Rez Sisters at Stratford in a couple of weeks.  Incidentally, it is essentially impossible to rent a car on the weekend anymore, so I have to take a day off and go on a Thursday.  (No surprise that the Stratford bus isn't running this summer, and I have my doubts about next summer as well.)  I think the timing is such that I may be able to go to the McMichael on the way out, so that would make it a slightly less bitter pill to swallow.  I'm extremely annoyed that they don't have drop-off after hours at the rental place,* and this is certainly an unwelcome trend that I hope ends by next year.  (I'll wait for another post to talk about vaccine passports and the "new normal.")  It's very hard to say when international travel will recover.  I really was expecting this summer to be able to travel more, but it is not to be.  Maybe 2022.

This covers a lot of ground, and I think I'll break here.

* As it turns out, I was able to drop the car after hours.  It ended up being a busy but fun day out.