Yes, I have been seriously MIA yet again from this blogcasa. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on my mind. There’s been a great deal of mayhem and chaos and downright insanity going on around the world. I’d rather not discuss the specifics as you’ve all probably had quite a stomach full enough of it all to vomit. Yes, it has been awful outdoors here–bad enough for moi to be forced to spend much of summer indoors in order to breath properly and avoid heat illness. This is royally pissing me off because I so look forward to having the windows and doors open during the summer. That has been impossible for months at this point. Gardening and walking has been restricted to the wee hours of the mornings and far and few between low humidity and heat days. Anyone who has not noticed the local change in temperature has not been paying any attention for their lifespan. You would think the increase in their electric bills from running their air conditioners all the time would raise a red flag. But not so for climate change deniers and the those who are just plain clueless. Anyway it’s been a shit summer for me because I physically can not endure the heat index. Please share your summer time weather experience at will. So instead of enjoying the great outdoors this summer I’ve been reading and watching far too many films and series. And thinking about a few things. For example: Do men ever worry about their reproductive rights? Seriously, does the male of the human species EVER have to fight anyone about his sperm and the consequences of sharing it with the female of the species? Hmm? Yeah, it’s been on my mind. Oh and every time I check on my blogcasa I find things have changed at WP–usually to make things easier for blogging. But it’s a bit like coming home and finding the place totally redecorated and having to figure out what’s what every time. Ah the least of my concerns. At any rate, it’s taken a while for me to decide to do a little sharing of the sort that ought not land me in the pokey for defamation of character. Here’s a list of books, films and music I think are worth sharing. Please, oh god, please, share back because this is the first of August and I am running out of quality entertainment while under heat arrest.
I’ve occupied my non-writing time with the likes of:
Show Me A Hero— book by Lisa Belkin, HBO mini-series.
IF anyone really wants to have a serious discussion about race issues in America this NON-fiction book and series offers a means for doing so. It also offers some how-to for dealing with community issues. And the trailer hardly gives a sense of the women whose true stories are worth the price of your viewing time. It might look like it’s all about Nick and the white guys, but it’s NOT.
The HBO series Treme goes to post Katrina New Orleans and strives to portray the cultural, social-economic, racial, justice issues via the personal lives of compelling individuals. It is not a pretty picture of state, local or federal government. If you love the many faces of Jazz you’ve got it made. The issues should make your blood boil. The food will make you hungry. The music will have you dancing and singing. The satire will satisfy a need for intellectual substance. And you just might cry more than you expect. Absolutely Addictive!
Another series worth spending some caged air conditioning time with is House of Cards—IF you can stomach any more political evil doing. Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and an all around incredible cast dive into the cesspool otherwise known as the American political scene where there are NO rules at all. If you watch this then you’ll have no trouble thinking the worst of the republican and democratic parties–or any other political party. The pursuit of power by any and all means. Everyone is expendable and all collateral damage is acceptable. Evil is real. Oh yeah.
Ah more about human nature in glorious black and white—The Fifth Horseman is Fear. Jewish doctor, Nazis, Czechoslovakia and an injured political fugitive = great drama. What’s your risk factor? There’s a lot to contemplate in this study of human nature, identity and oppression. The image of the pianos haunts me with its beauty, sadness and tragedy. Keep your eye on the boy in the film. What does he make of everything he sees and hears–oh I do wonder.
Damn, I haven’t even gotten to books and music yet.
Okay I’m going to wrap this post up on an incredibly beautiful note with a link to a blog that those of you interested in film might find interesting. The Case For Global Film has a fine entry for the Hungarian film Love. Love stories are not just couples finding each other for sex and corny feel good times. What does love motivate people to do for each other? What does it mean in the grand scheme of all things? Is it the best thing about our species? Maybe. Is it the most powerful –and under-utilized weapon we have to deal with the self destructive chaos that our species creates in the world?
Love is yet another visually gorgeous film in black and white from 1972. If anyone finds a video for this film please drop a link as I’m not having any luck with my searches–yet. Hence the link which offers a host of other films all too often ignored in America.
For now–hello to all. Keep cool if you can. Sing, dance, eat well. Love. And fight the mayhem by refusing to let it overwhelm you.
namaste
om mani padme hum jewel in the lotus wahupa qi prana universal life energy
47whitebuffalo's Blog 
still a dreamer said,
August 8, 2016 at 10:08 pm
Bonjour! First the weather – not toooo bad here. I don’t think we’ve gone over 90˚ more than twice. Lots of sun, intermittent storms, half the time – nasty humidity. I’m not complaining as I can keep my windows and doors open a good portion of the time.
I have considered streaming Netflix for House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, but in the end? I mostly don’t care that much – plus I’m happy with movies. Recently, the Danish Girl, (VG); A Little Chaos (fabu – and I’m generally not big on period movies – but Alan Rickman was splendid in this as was Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaert); what else? …. long pause, crickets … well, that sums it up!
Working F/T, working on other stuff … I can sometimes be easily amused. Love Spring Baking Championship plus kids’ version. All over the map –
Stay cool – imagine soft breezes off the body of water of your choice. 🙂 Ta!
still a dreamer said,
August 2, 2016 at 2:47 pm
Be back when I can read with full attention … must get to work! 😛
47whitebuffalo said,
August 4, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Fair enough! 🙂
Johnny Ojanpera said,
August 2, 2016 at 12:30 am
Hi E. Good to see you. I actually had to go to Colorado to find bearable temps. 10,000 feet was perfect. Now that I’m back on the coast, I will be inside as well. I’ve been on a documentary spree lately; fiction seems too real lately…
47whitebuffalo said,
August 2, 2016 at 6:36 am
Helllllooooooo Johnny! Most excellent to read you here. 🙂 Take note: I live in what was formerly a zone five area for growing plants. I learned from a professional planter that it’s now a zone 6. So Colorado at 10,000 feet does not surprise me at all for comfortable temperature.
Now DO share the documentaries. Yes, I really do want to know what you’ve been chilling out with.
As for fiction being too real—hmm, what did you have in mind when you wrote that?
Johnny Ojanpera said,
August 2, 2016 at 8:49 pm
Well, if you go to Netflix, there are quite a few good docs. The current state of politics is almost too outrageous for fiction. It almost seems that people are writing it off as a television series. If reason had any place in this country there might have been a very public deportation by now.
47whitebuffalo said,
August 4, 2016 at 4:45 pm
Outrageous seems to be the name of the political game of late. It’s insane. OOO deportation–what would Emma Goldman say about that? Thanks for visiting, Johnny. My regards to your ladies.
slpmartin said,
August 1, 2016 at 8:25 pm
My…sounds like you heart has been like ours….but today we’re below a 100 so it does seem as bad as it has been…cooler is indeed a ‘relative’ term…to avoid heat we’ve stayed inside and left the state whenever possible to cooler parts of the country…oh and we finished watching the entire Doc Martin tv series….all six seasons…as well as the two tv movies that lead to the series….hope you get some cooler weather soon…take good care.
47whitebuffalo said,
August 1, 2016 at 11:42 pm
🙂 Glad you’ve been beating the heat, Charles.
Oh Doc Martin is such fun! What a great character he is–eccentric, flawed, emotionally crippled and yet a man who rises to the challenge every time to do his very best medically for people.
Cooler is relative indeed!!!
Thank you for your kind words.