Two terrific plays in Stratford. Lovely weather. Using my ArriveCan app turned out to be easy too. Going to Canada is indeed entering another country, one that is sane and never changes very much Except they keep installing more and more roundabouts. Oh, and they have installed boardwalks along side every restaurants so pedestrians do not need their sidewalks and they can put more tables outside. Most people wore masks at the plays but not much elsewhere.
Reading SLEEPWALK by Dan Chaon. Still reading DEAR EDWARD too.
Went to see the Spanish film OFFICIAL COMPETITION which was funny but not wholly satisfying. Comedies in a foreign language work less well than dramas for me. But still a good movie.
Watching end of Better Call Saul. And the hearings, of course.
So much beautiful weather.
How about you?
Today I am picking out what films to see at the Traverse City Film Festival. As usual, they lean toward Michael Moore's POV. It is his party after all.
21 comments:
Glad you had a good time at Stratford. Canada really is another country nowadays, isn't it?
Still in shock about Rick Robinson.
From Kitty's room at rehab, we can see a storage lot across the street for port-a-pottys -- a gazillion of them. They are all lined up next to each other. I've been trying to convince Jack to go over to the Port-a-Potty Playground, get to the end of the line, and push with both hands, knocking them over like dominoes. He'll be ten this week so that's a perfect age for playing Port-a-Potty Dominoes. His mother won't let him. She's such a spoilsport.
Things are still going slowly, Kitty health-wise. I'm getting impatient. She's remaining as lovely as ever.
I've been able to read a lot (in between sleeping on the floor and trying to get up from the floor: Alan K. Russell's anthology RIVALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Mike Ashley's THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF SCIENCE FICTION, the Michael Sims-edited DRACULA'S GUEST: A CONNOISSEUR'S COLLECTION OF VICTORIAN VAMPIRE STORIES, FOOD OF THE GODS by H. G. Wells, BUST by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr, P. Djeli Clark's A MASTER OF DJINN, Margery Allingham's MR. CAMPION AND OTHERS, Gordon R. Dickson's early SF novel SPACE WINNERS, DEAR BOB...BOB HOPE'S WARTIME CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE G.I.S OF WORLD WAR II, compiled by Martha Burton and Linda Hope, and six various issues of THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION from 1954-56. The Wells and the Bob Hope book were part of a recent CARE package from the age of Tonawanda. (Thanks, George!) Some pretty interesting reading here and I'm glad I got tp P. Djeli Clark' much-praised book. At the rate I'm going, I'll probably finish up all issues of F&F through 1959 in the next few weeks. On deck is a doorstop Gardner Dozois/George R. R. Martin anthology, David Drake's MEN HUNTING THINGS, Alan Dean Foster's BETCHA CAN'T READ JUST ONE, Paul Trembley's horror novel THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WOODS, nd Carole Nelson Douglas's anthology WHITE HOUSE PET DETECTIVES...and, of course, whatever goodies that may pop up as I browse the internet.
TV is the pits here. We will have to wait until we get home to finish STRANGER THINGS, BOSCH LEGACIES, and many other things that are unavailable on the television in Kitty's room. **SIGH**
Much rain and storms from the Gulf this past week; more to come...hurricane season, y'know. This was Blue Angels weekend here and for once I was glad we couldn't go to the beach, which evidently resembled a sardine can with all the spectators who flocked there.
May your week be joyful, your cup overfilling, and your powder dry. Patti. Stay safe.
So glad you had a good trip and enjoyed the shows, Patti! I haven't been to Canada in too long. You're reminding me of how lovely it is there. I need to go again...
Sorry things are going so slowly, Jerry. And condolence for missing Rick. When I'm stressed, it becomes more difficult for me to read for pleasure...adding further to the vexation.
Glad there's another interesting festival in the near future, Patti. Canada having rather too similar approaches to native nations being one of the most unfortunate similarities.
Managed to fall asleep through most of the new premium cable offers last night, but caught a bit of HBO's documentary THE ANARCHISTS (about a latter-day project in Mexico), most of the typically depressing episode of Starz's documentary series on Ghislaine Maxwell and her conspirators and customers and victims, and the season premiere of Epix's BRIDGE AND TUNNEL (felt more blandly sitcommy than last season, not helped by a "punk rock" band that sounded more like a bar band doing Rolling Stones covers), and a new Showtime FLATBUSH MISDEMEANORS which was far more amusing.
Anarchist night on cable last night, with TALK OF THE TOWN on TCM last night...taped that one, will finally see it.
I've added James Reasoner's, Richard Moore's, and Kevin Burton Smith's responses on list mail as comments in response to the bad news about Rick to Patti's post about Rick's death.
We haven't visited Canada since the Pandemic hit, but your experience is tempted us to give it a try...perhaps this Fall. Meanwhile the BA.5 variant is infecting people in Western NY. Why people don't wear masks when they know the virus is present mystifies me.
Diane and I enjoyed THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER--it took in over $143 million this weekend--but don't plan on going back to our local AMC Theater any time soon. We were the only ones in the sold-out theater wearing masks.
I booked a table for Diane's Birthday dinner for Wednesday at a French restaurant. Diane loves their Beignets!
Stay safe!
Love TALK OF THE TOWN.
Generally with the movies I see, we are the only audience. That was true with the Penelope Cruz movie. The ticket seller seldom realizes the movie is showing. Hoping you get off the floor soon, Jerry.
Also reading Sleepwalk. Watching The Lincoln Lawyer which is worth the time. We’re people masking up in Canada?
At the theater, yes. In some of the shops although I was only in a couple. Not in restaurants, except some of the staff. More than I see in the Detroit area.
We spent four days with my cousins in COnnecticut, mostly in the Mystic area. Really nice time, as usual - ate too much, also as usual - and the weather was way better than predicted. No rain, pretty warm the first day but otherwise seasonably warm or a little below that. It is a really nice area and the people at the seashore towns seemed nicer than they do here, I must admit. Nothing exciting. Mostly drove around the small towns, a brief visit to the casino (Mohegan Sun this time; Jackie and my cousin lost), plenty of food and lots of ice cream. It was nice to get away, though the trip home was a nightmare. Still better than flying. We might do Maine next year.
MOre later. Have to drop her off at the doctor.
Still sad about Rick. He will be missed.
George-I always wait for a weekday matinee when there are only a handful of people in the theater.
Watching Dark Wind and finished Stranger Things. Looking forward to Better Call Saul. Finished The Walking Hill by Larry McMurtry and Four Last Things by Andrew Taylor. Just started The Fabulous Clipjoint by Fredric Brown. Ans still dipping into various short story collections.
Had cataract surgery two weeks ago and have noticed a lot of improvement.
Glad to hear there is an improvement, Steve. You have waited a long time to have better vision. I only go to movies on midday afternoons.
I am catching up with Better Call Saul on Amazon. Wish I remembered what happened last season better.
We used to visit my cousins in Darien,CT. It was a gorgeous area. I have only been to Portland Maine. Would love to see more.
They are talking about Portland. We'll see. They live in the Hartford area but we spent the days by the coast.
Another cousin and his wife and son flew to a wedding in Minneapolis and they all have Covid now. His was pretty serious, apparently (plenty of co-morbidities) but had an infusion of monoclonal antibodies and he is better. Jackie decided that her coughing was not hotel air but Covid symptoms, but she tested negative. Not many masks in Connecticut, but we ate outdoors for all meals but breakfast.
Sorry to hear about Rick.
I stumbled upon WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP on Netflix. The series came out in 2015 and has a fantastic cast. I never saw the 2001 film the series is based off. I burst out laughing several times.
My wife tore through the recent season of STRANGER THINGS. I've not yet finished the previous season.
I took a 12-mile backpack walk yesterday. Not actually backpacking day though, I walked a flat rail-to-trail path for most of the distance. I've not been camping or hiking so this was something of a one-day substitute.
Don't know why that post from my phone came up as Anonymous.
Anyway, we're back from the ENT and the library and the store.
We're watching DARK WINDS (nasty), THE OLD MAN, CONDOR, THE SPLIT, JULIA, and HACKS, along with several foreign language shows (series 3 of SOMMERDAHL MURDERS just started on Acorn).
Not much reading this week as we were away for four days, but I did read Lee Goldberg's MOVIELAND before we left. And Sulari Gentill's THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY. Started the new James Grady book, THIS TRAIN. And I picked up the Ann Packer short story collection you reviewed last time, MENDOCINO.
I have read a lot this week: BOX 88 by Charles Cumming is the start of a new espionage series. Very long, nearly 500 pages and I finished it in 3 days (unusual for me). Before that I read THE BOOKSHOP by Penelope Fitzgerald, a good book but depressing. I am now reading DEAD IN THE WATER by Ted Woods, first in the Reid Bennett series.
We finished AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS.
I am also still sad about Rick. Barbara posted an update on Rick's blog today.
I enjoyed the REID BENNETT novels I have read. I need to hunt down the rest of them. They always made me want to vacation in Canada.
Thanks for reminding me I downloaded the WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY. Audio version.
Phil loved Charles Cumming. I have read some Fitzgerald but maybe not that one.
Re: THE SPLIT. Nicole Walker certainly swerves from one guy to another. And are they really going to set her sister up with a new man already?
WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER is a funny film, Gerard, if also one where you can almost feel the humidity and smell the must.
I don't think I have seen it. Does it take place at a camp? Ontario is much like Michigan (or Wisconsin). I liked Nova Scotia, Quebec and British Columbia more.
The film and the two subsequent one-shot series are set in a summer camp. Set in 1981 and in Maine (I think).
I've wanted to revisit Quebec for years. It's only a little further drive than a family visit to KS. We'd have no family to stay with though.
Both Montreal and Quebec City were terrific.
I think I saw one of them, perhaps a sequel rather than the original.
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