Life is interesting, complex, fun, and beautiful.
It can also be sad, frustrating, ugly, and very very hard.
Looking back, there are things I have loved doing, and friends I am very glad I met. There have been good choices, and bad ones, and ones I would have made quite differently if I knew what I know now. Time is full of choices, and events, and different paths. The possibilities of life are fascinating. The paths I've been on were not ones I expected for the most part, and not necessarily what I would have liked, but I have learned lessons about life I probably would not have learned otherwise.
There are also many aspects of life outside of our control, and considering we have billions of other people sharing the planet with us, it could hardly be otherwise. I see problems that other people deal with, and I wonder which of mine I would consider greater, or be willing to trade for theirs. I've learned that kindness is the best gift I can give to the myriad of people I meet, and the pleasures of doing little things for others to lubricate their day a little bit makes a pleasant distraction from being ground down by my own difficulties. My biggest frustrations with other people are those in charge of things who let greed run amok and rip society apart. Life is hard enough without people deliberately ignoring the effects on others of what they do when they should know better.
Today is the day I miss my grandmother most, we always were sure to talk on our day. I miss my dad also, although I was missing his conversation before the night he actually left. After watching his frustration for two years, and his communication abilities steadily decline, I think I'd much rather be gone quickly like she was rather than deal with the after effects of the strokes he had. As bad as a real prison would be, I almost would say his virtual one was worse. I was glad I was there to say goodbye, even if he couldn't respond, and I was glad he was finally free of it.
I seem to be getting more rebellious now than I ever was as a teenager, although I pick and choose very carefully there. I'm really getting to the point where I want to just be me, and care much less about trying to be who others think I should be. Part of it has been learning the lesson that I can't always ignore my own needs while trying to help others, and learning to say no to requests when I should. Part of it has been learning that I can't ignore things I thought I could, which circles back to wishing I'd known some things much earlier in life. It's been fun to let things go and experiment with things I never did before.
Although I haven't been able to travel anywhere near as much as I wanted to or expected I'd be able to, books and movies and such have been wonderful. It's fun to see other places, and get glimpses of other lives, and remember that everyone has their own mix of trouble, problems, joys, loves, and life. There are stories that my current self enjoys, there are stories my young self loves, and there are stories my older self wonders if I will get to experience. Some of them are about things I have done or felt, others are about things I expected to experience and haven't, and some are things I want to see and feel and hope I can someday.
Life is many things, and life is hope above all. The endless variety is fascinating, and new discoveries are also, both personal and of knowledge in general. There are always unknowns, and what ifs, and change, and somehow reality and life move on.
My wish for the world for the coming year is that the issues with inequality and willful ignorance of reality tearing the world apart get addressed. For myself, I could use a regeneration. Let's see what actually happens.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Fall Musings
Fall is probably my favorite season, although as time goes by I have realized that I like aspects of all of the seasons. I would sorely miss the distinctive seasons we have in Portland if I moved somewhere that didn't have them.
Fall has many draws for me. I love the cooler weather, not quite the cold of winter, refreshing after the heat of summer. I like the rain. I like the wind. I love the carpets and umbrellas of red, yellow, orange, and burgundy that the trees generate. The crunch of dry leaves underfoot is amazing. I like the coats and boots, and probably most of all the turtlenecks. Hot chocolate and spiced apple cider are simply delightful. Soups become regulars again.
Today I drove across town to pick up some compost to plant a couple of things that should improve spring, and it was a long slideshow of nice houses and lovely trees and leaves all over in the older neighborhoods near where I was going.
On the way back I picked up something to eat at an old favorite place, and swung through the neighborhood where I grew up rather than take the bland drive that was the main route back. It was lovely, and a reminder of just how much I miss the place. There has been some development, although not as much as there might have been. It's still hills with tons of trees around, at times almost a forest between the houses. Even though I live only a couple of miles away now, it seems like a different world on the flatter ground below the hills. I miss the trees all around and the huge forest park within walking distance. It's almost as quiet here on a sort of back street, but not quite.
In life those days seemed like spring, with hopes and plans and such. The way this country has gone since then makes it seem like the rug got pulled out from under all of that. While I don't mind those doing above average who have earned it, the unearned and unethical obscene fortunes that suck the opportunities and justice out of society are a different matter. It's good to see the wider public starting to wake up to what happened and how low that average has been driven and demand that something be done about it.
Fall has many draws for me. I love the cooler weather, not quite the cold of winter, refreshing after the heat of summer. I like the rain. I like the wind. I love the carpets and umbrellas of red, yellow, orange, and burgundy that the trees generate. The crunch of dry leaves underfoot is amazing. I like the coats and boots, and probably most of all the turtlenecks. Hot chocolate and spiced apple cider are simply delightful. Soups become regulars again.
Today I drove across town to pick up some compost to plant a couple of things that should improve spring, and it was a long slideshow of nice houses and lovely trees and leaves all over in the older neighborhoods near where I was going.
On the way back I picked up something to eat at an old favorite place, and swung through the neighborhood where I grew up rather than take the bland drive that was the main route back. It was lovely, and a reminder of just how much I miss the place. There has been some development, although not as much as there might have been. It's still hills with tons of trees around, at times almost a forest between the houses. Even though I live only a couple of miles away now, it seems like a different world on the flatter ground below the hills. I miss the trees all around and the huge forest park within walking distance. It's almost as quiet here on a sort of back street, but not quite.
In life those days seemed like spring, with hopes and plans and such. The way this country has gone since then makes it seem like the rug got pulled out from under all of that. While I don't mind those doing above average who have earned it, the unearned and unethical obscene fortunes that suck the opportunities and justice out of society are a different matter. It's good to see the wider public starting to wake up to what happened and how low that average has been driven and demand that something be done about it.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tech support amusements
As those who have read my profile know, I do tech support for a living. Over the years, I've done support via email on a couple of different contracts, and been quite amused by some of the submissions and responses. I was reminded of one of my favorites by some printer woes I noticed on Twitter.
For a little background, we were North American support officially. Since we were also the only email support group, if someone elsewhere in the world emailed us about a printer we supported, and did so in English, we would try to help them. We had a polite Australian customer who submitted a case for an old printer that was no longer supported. We replied to let him know that, along with some generic suggestions that might fix the problems he was seeing.
Here is his gem of a reply, edited only to remove the models and names:
For a little background, we were North American support officially. Since we were also the only email support group, if someone elsewhere in the world emailed us about a printer we supported, and did so in English, we would try to help them. We had a polite Australian customer who submitted a case for an old printer that was no longer supported. We replied to let him know that, along with some generic suggestions that might fix the problems he was seeing.
Here is his gem of a reply, edited only to remove the models and names:
Support Team,
Thanks for the suggestions re the printing problems with the old model printer.
Problem is solved. Third floor balcony. Gravity. Concrete landing area.
Sudden stop.
The bastard will self-park and stop printing jobs on me no more !
Yesterday afternoon, local store introduced me, via my credit card, to
a new model printer of yours. I intend for us to become good friends.
By way of introduction and incentive, we walked into the building past the
broken remains of the old printer.
The new one hasn't missed a beat since !
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Red (2010)
This is pretty much a popcorn action comedy with various strands of life swirled through it. It is a good one. There are a lot of very good and recognizable actors involved. Even with the limited screen time they each get, the script is written well enough and the characters are played well enough that we get the impression that these are people with a past and a future rather than just cardboard stock characters. The mix of comedy, action, and romance reminded me in a way of The Whole Nine Yards, which also had Bruce Willis in it.
As an added bonus, while the trailer had a lot of good lines in it, and gave a starting point of the plot, it did not give away where events went from there. I had a good idea of the sort of movie I was going to see, and I was not disappointed to find otherwise. Instead there was the entertaining pleasure of not knowing what was next or how exactly it would end.
As an added bonus, while the trailer had a lot of good lines in it, and gave a starting point of the plot, it did not give away where events went from there. I had a good idea of the sort of movie I was going to see, and I was not disappointed to find otherwise. Instead there was the entertaining pleasure of not knowing what was next or how exactly it would end.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Some Recent Movies
I've been meaning to post reviews or comments on movies as I see them for a while now, and it has been slipping. So here are notes on a number of films that I have seen in the last couple of months.
The Girl Who Played With Fire
I like the character of Lisbeth Salander quite a lot, even though there are aspects I do not like. I like her intelligence and quiet determination, and endurance in the face of horrible trials. Not so much a fan of the goth look, but it doesn't override the rest. The guarded attitude she has towards others is not entirely foreign to me, but she takes it to a much deeper extent. I suspect if I had suffered through the same things I would probably react in a similar manner, although probably not with the same fashion.
The second movie is different from the first a bit, and has less of a slowly thawing mystery and more of a wrongly accused thriller feel. It is somewhat Hitchcockian in that way, but certainly not in the look of the movie or the characters, and he probably would not have been the best choice of director for it. I am enjoying the character and overall story enough to really want to see the last of the trilogy and read the books, and it will be interesting to see the English remake. I don't know Rooney Mara's work, so she will hopefully do the role justice. If she doesn't, I will probably not forgive Fincher for not casting Ellen Page, who would likely have knocked it out of the park.
Salt
Salt was a very well done thriller and spy chase movie that left me wanting to see a sequel. I liked the human touches that made Evelyn Salt more interesting, such as making sure her cat was taken care of in the middle of being hunted and chased. Angelina Jolie was great in the role, and made the most of those little moments to make the character more than just a plot participant and stunt achiever. It was also nice to see intelligence being displayed on several sides of the story, with less of the wooden cut outs for characters that come up so often in the genre.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
I have mixed feelings on this one. Someone really needs to give Michael Cera a new role. The young slacker bit worked well in Juno and also in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, but it is getting old, especially since I understand the same character has been played by him in other movies I have not seen. This movie is a decent ensemble piece with a heavy dose of video game sprinkled over it. It's probably pretty decent for the teen geek viewer, and it was visually interesting at that level. My older self was slightly amused by the references to older things they might not catch, and the overall romance was an interesting idea. It's definitely a niche movie though, and it will probably take an opportunistic second viewing before it makes it onto my movie shelves as anything other than a curiosity.
The American
Another "spy" thriller, but in a much more low-key European sense. It leaves out the chases for the most part in favor of a long slow simmer of character action. I liked the sense that we were watching a story about real people living their lives and happening to meet and interact and affect each other. George Clooney was very low-key in the movie, which makes the impact of his pounding the wheel much more significant. I liked the skilled craftsman he played, and the way he played it made it clear that he was not just an emotionless machine, but someone who was real and human underneath the mask he wore for his work, and wanted to remain so. I'll revisit this one again on video.
Inception
A brilliant film that was very carefully made. I loved the scene where Ariadne and Cobb were going over what being a dream architect involved, and watching the city fold back on itself. The movie sets up its own rules, and then follows them to weave a complex and intelligent puzzle. The movie is not perfect, it is almost too slick in a way, but it is very good. The most human and spontaneous moment comes in the middle when a kiss is stolen. I saw it a second time with friends about two months after the first viewing, and it remained impressive. There have been a number of clues to the central mystery posted online by people involved in the movie, and I have been content to avoid them and leave it a mystery.
The Town
I have to admire Ben Affleck, even if he has not always made the best choices of projects. I feel he's underrated as an actor, he is a good writer, and with my first observation of him as a director I have to consider him good at that as well. All three skills are on display here, and the movie benefits from it. It is a good crime caper movie, with a swirl of weird romance. Affleck and Rebecca Hall play the romance and the characters well enough that it would be interesting to have seen them meet under less unusual circumstances. I love the arc of both characters, and it makes the movie much more enjoyable than a simple crime caper, however well done. I would enjoy seeing a sequel with those characters, which would necessarily be a quite different movie.
Never Let Me Go
I intended to read the book by Kazuo Ishiguro first, but I barely got into it before it overwhelmed me with sadness because I could see where it was likely going and I just wasn't in the mood for it. I saw the movie when it finally made it to Portland and it did not disappoint. It is very well done, very thought-provoking, and very sad and very human, and it does not pull any punches. Having said that, it does not use overwhelming visuals to deliver them, and covers certain scenes in a very subdued manner that still delivers emotionally. The story is interesting, and I will have to go back and finish the book to see how that expands on certain details. The movie will make it onto my shelves at some point.
Let Me In
I have not seen the Swedish original yet (Let the Right One In), although the friends I saw this with had. For those who have, the word was that the American version had considerably more violence in it, which probably surprises no one. (They literally leaned over as the credits started and reassured me on that point, and repeated their recommendation for the Swedish movie.) It was a scary vampire movie, and yet it was also more thoughtful about the subject than something like the Twilight series. One could make the argument that it is one of the most "realistic" vampire movies. Not just in how it portrayed the violence, but more so in the characters and what they do and why they do it. I'm not a big fan of scary movies, but it was worth dealing with it for the rest of the movie. Like Never Let Me Go, it takes a situation that is upsetting and sad and looks at how real people would deal with it.
The Girl Who Played With Fire
I like the character of Lisbeth Salander quite a lot, even though there are aspects I do not like. I like her intelligence and quiet determination, and endurance in the face of horrible trials. Not so much a fan of the goth look, but it doesn't override the rest. The guarded attitude she has towards others is not entirely foreign to me, but she takes it to a much deeper extent. I suspect if I had suffered through the same things I would probably react in a similar manner, although probably not with the same fashion.
The second movie is different from the first a bit, and has less of a slowly thawing mystery and more of a wrongly accused thriller feel. It is somewhat Hitchcockian in that way, but certainly not in the look of the movie or the characters, and he probably would not have been the best choice of director for it. I am enjoying the character and overall story enough to really want to see the last of the trilogy and read the books, and it will be interesting to see the English remake. I don't know Rooney Mara's work, so she will hopefully do the role justice. If she doesn't, I will probably not forgive Fincher for not casting Ellen Page, who would likely have knocked it out of the park.
Salt
Salt was a very well done thriller and spy chase movie that left me wanting to see a sequel. I liked the human touches that made Evelyn Salt more interesting, such as making sure her cat was taken care of in the middle of being hunted and chased. Angelina Jolie was great in the role, and made the most of those little moments to make the character more than just a plot participant and stunt achiever. It was also nice to see intelligence being displayed on several sides of the story, with less of the wooden cut outs for characters that come up so often in the genre.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
I have mixed feelings on this one. Someone really needs to give Michael Cera a new role. The young slacker bit worked well in Juno and also in Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, but it is getting old, especially since I understand the same character has been played by him in other movies I have not seen. This movie is a decent ensemble piece with a heavy dose of video game sprinkled over it. It's probably pretty decent for the teen geek viewer, and it was visually interesting at that level. My older self was slightly amused by the references to older things they might not catch, and the overall romance was an interesting idea. It's definitely a niche movie though, and it will probably take an opportunistic second viewing before it makes it onto my movie shelves as anything other than a curiosity.
The American
Another "spy" thriller, but in a much more low-key European sense. It leaves out the chases for the most part in favor of a long slow simmer of character action. I liked the sense that we were watching a story about real people living their lives and happening to meet and interact and affect each other. George Clooney was very low-key in the movie, which makes the impact of his pounding the wheel much more significant. I liked the skilled craftsman he played, and the way he played it made it clear that he was not just an emotionless machine, but someone who was real and human underneath the mask he wore for his work, and wanted to remain so. I'll revisit this one again on video.
Inception
A brilliant film that was very carefully made. I loved the scene where Ariadne and Cobb were going over what being a dream architect involved, and watching the city fold back on itself. The movie sets up its own rules, and then follows them to weave a complex and intelligent puzzle. The movie is not perfect, it is almost too slick in a way, but it is very good. The most human and spontaneous moment comes in the middle when a kiss is stolen. I saw it a second time with friends about two months after the first viewing, and it remained impressive. There have been a number of clues to the central mystery posted online by people involved in the movie, and I have been content to avoid them and leave it a mystery.
The Town
I have to admire Ben Affleck, even if he has not always made the best choices of projects. I feel he's underrated as an actor, he is a good writer, and with my first observation of him as a director I have to consider him good at that as well. All three skills are on display here, and the movie benefits from it. It is a good crime caper movie, with a swirl of weird romance. Affleck and Rebecca Hall play the romance and the characters well enough that it would be interesting to have seen them meet under less unusual circumstances. I love the arc of both characters, and it makes the movie much more enjoyable than a simple crime caper, however well done. I would enjoy seeing a sequel with those characters, which would necessarily be a quite different movie.
Never Let Me Go
I intended to read the book by Kazuo Ishiguro first, but I barely got into it before it overwhelmed me with sadness because I could see where it was likely going and I just wasn't in the mood for it. I saw the movie when it finally made it to Portland and it did not disappoint. It is very well done, very thought-provoking, and very sad and very human, and it does not pull any punches. Having said that, it does not use overwhelming visuals to deliver them, and covers certain scenes in a very subdued manner that still delivers emotionally. The story is interesting, and I will have to go back and finish the book to see how that expands on certain details. The movie will make it onto my shelves at some point.
Let Me In
I have not seen the Swedish original yet (Let the Right One In), although the friends I saw this with had. For those who have, the word was that the American version had considerably more violence in it, which probably surprises no one. (They literally leaned over as the credits started and reassured me on that point, and repeated their recommendation for the Swedish movie.) It was a scary vampire movie, and yet it was also more thoughtful about the subject than something like the Twilight series. One could make the argument that it is one of the most "realistic" vampire movies. Not just in how it portrayed the violence, but more so in the characters and what they do and why they do it. I'm not a big fan of scary movies, but it was worth dealing with it for the rest of the movie. Like Never Let Me Go, it takes a situation that is upsetting and sad and looks at how real people would deal with it.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Haiku archive 2
More haiku and such posted over on Twitter since the last archive.
=======================
05/27/2010:
Roads less traveled
Lost in another time and place
Slipping through the cracks
======================
05/27/2010:
Bears keep many secrets
Reflections of quiet truths
No one else listens
======================
05/27/2010:
Black and white falling
Rhythms twinkling in a row
Solo without any strings
======================
05/27/2010:
Waves rolling in time
Endless heartbeat of the sea
Soothing melody
======================
5/29/2010:
Notes swirling in time
Rhythm on the crowded floor
Dancing in her dreams
======================
5/30/2010:
Bright webs span the world
Chance makes strangers into friends
The world grows smaller
======================
7/23/2010:
Memory swirls time
The past fills with smoke and mists
The future is blind
======================
7/05/2010:
A hidden rose lies
Caught in a thorny thicket
Dreams of waking up
======================
7/23/2010:
Onward through the dark
Rain drips off reddened cheeks
Wrinkle in the world.
======================
8/01/2010:
Walking behind a mirror
Sunlight through a prism
Up is down and left is right
But everything looks fine
======================
=======================
05/27/2010:
Roads less traveled
Lost in another time and place
Slipping through the cracks
======================
05/27/2010:
Bears keep many secrets
Reflections of quiet truths
No one else listens
======================
05/27/2010:
Black and white falling
Rhythms twinkling in a row
Solo without any strings
======================
05/27/2010:
Waves rolling in time
Endless heartbeat of the sea
Soothing melody
======================
5/29/2010:
Notes swirling in time
Rhythm on the crowded floor
Dancing in her dreams
======================
5/30/2010:
Bright webs span the world
Chance makes strangers into friends
The world grows smaller
======================
7/23/2010:
Memory swirls time
The past fills with smoke and mists
The future is blind
======================
7/05/2010:
A hidden rose lies
Caught in a thorny thicket
Dreams of waking up
======================
7/23/2010:
Onward through the dark
Rain drips off reddened cheeks
Wrinkle in the world.
======================
8/01/2010:
Walking behind a mirror
Sunlight through a prism
Up is down and left is right
But everything looks fine
======================
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Complex Mix for a Rainy Day (1)
Black Sky - Sam Philips (Martinis & Bikinis)
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears for Fears (Peter's Friends Soundtrack)
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor - Beethoven (Immortal Beloved soundtrack)
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster (Deluxe Version))
La Isla Bonita - Madonna (The Immaculate Collection)
Like A Prayer - Madonna (The Immaculate Collection)
Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper (Peter's Friends Soundtrack)
22 - Lily Allen (It's Not Me, It's You)
F**k You - Lily Allen (It's Not Me, It's You)
Teeth - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster (Deluxe Version))
Don't Get Me Wrong - The Pretenders (Peter's Friends Soundtrack)
Summer Rain - Belinda Carlisle (Greatest Hits)
Mad About You - Belinda Carlisle (Greatest Hits)
April In Paris - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong (Forget Paris soundtrack)
Poker Face - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster (Deluxe Version))
Just A Girl - No Doubt (Tragic Kingdom)
Nobody Knows Me At All - The Weepies (Say I Am You)
If I Didn't Care - Amy Adams & Lee Pace (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day soundtrack)
Fur Elise - Beethoven (Immortal Beloved soundtrack)
Too zig-zaggy for some, no doubt. The indie music experts will probably have other songs they feel fit in or smooth out the flow. Suggestions are fine, but figure out where and why first. It only seems thrown together on the surface.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears for Fears (Peter's Friends Soundtrack)
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor - Beethoven (Immortal Beloved soundtrack)
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster (Deluxe Version))
La Isla Bonita - Madonna (The Immaculate Collection)
Like A Prayer - Madonna (The Immaculate Collection)
Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper (Peter's Friends Soundtrack)
22 - Lily Allen (It's Not Me, It's You)
F**k You - Lily Allen (It's Not Me, It's You)
Teeth - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster (Deluxe Version))
Don't Get Me Wrong - The Pretenders (Peter's Friends Soundtrack)
Summer Rain - Belinda Carlisle (Greatest Hits)
Mad About You - Belinda Carlisle (Greatest Hits)
April In Paris - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong (Forget Paris soundtrack)
Poker Face - Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster (Deluxe Version))
Just A Girl - No Doubt (Tragic Kingdom)
Nobody Knows Me At All - The Weepies (Say I Am You)
If I Didn't Care - Amy Adams & Lee Pace (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day soundtrack)
Fur Elise - Beethoven (Immortal Beloved soundtrack)
Too zig-zaggy for some, no doubt. The indie music experts will probably have other songs they feel fit in or smooth out the flow. Suggestions are fine, but figure out where and why first. It only seems thrown together on the surface.
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