Category Archives: Recreation

3:47 a.m.

I started out life as a night owl, keeping my mother awake until the wee hours before I made my appearance. Though since Mom is also a late-night person, I suppose I just take after her!

My visit has been intensely enjoyable. I am blessed with dear, funny, generous friends who have been so sweet to me. Today, my brother and sister-in-law are treating me to a massage at Ancient Way Day Spa — a real indulgence.

And if you’re looking for an excellent chick-flick, do go see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, based on a teen novel by Ann Brashares. Although it’s about teenage rites of passage, the themes deal with love, abandonment, loss, and constancy, and the characters are well-developed.

New, Improved

The past three days have provided much relief, and rather a lot of enjoyment.

Friday was productive in terms of resolving the tension that cropped up at work. My students were rambunctious yet endearing as only fourth and fifth-graders can be. Friday evening my husband and I treated ourselves to a meal at Juicy Burger and then to a viewing of The Incredibles. That, by the way, is a fun little movie, and it’s worth watching the second DVD to learn about the technical aspects of animation.

Saturday I gardened and dug into Bill Bryson’s I’m a Stranger Here Myself. In the evening we met up with friends for dinner at House of Siam (delicious!), followed by drinks, jazz, and conversation at The Fairmont Hotel. We had a lovely time.

Today was another gorgeous, sunny, breezy day. Upon recommendation of a friend, we hiked in Alum Rock Park, a little jewel nestled just 12 miles from our home. It was heavily used today in some parts, but we hiked up the creek past grottos of mineral springs, thus entering a more peaceful scene accompanied by birdsong, rushing water, and little else. I will definitely return to explore more. Hiking in California poses an extreme challenge to those who are out-of-shape and/or overweight (extra weight does not cause as much of a problem as weak muscles and poor aerobic capacity). Trails have virtually a vertical ascent from their starting points. But we managed well enough. Following our hike we treated ourselves to Slurpees, and then grabbed a few groceries prior to settling in at home.

I am now doing laundry and have watered the flowers. Tomorrow is a full day. I’m taking Sophie, my cat with the heart murmur and mammary tumors, to the vet for surgery tomorrow to remove the cysts. I am hoping she survives the operation and the tumors are benign. While I’m concerned, I’m also at peace. It’s out of my hands. Here’s a photo of Ms. Sophie — she is diminutive but fierce. I hope her spirit pulls her through.

at the watering hole

Beyond A Mere Escape

It’s that the benefits of reading extend beyond a mere escape from oneself. They linger. Reading affords one a certain detachment from life. Reading allows me, at least, to approach the events of my own life with the same mild curiosity I have toward a good novel: it’s easier not to get so invested. One could argue that film and television must do the same, but in truth, there is something different between the mediums. Books – texts – are private, personal, unique. They’re fueled and informed by whatever you’ve already experienced. Movies are public. They give everything to you. Also, television and film are almost always (and necessarily) presented from a limited third-person point of view: the nature of the stated objectivity of the camera makes anything else difficult. Books can be written from the inside, or from all sides – you get a taste of what it’s like to experience the world through the eyes and skin and past of another.

–Siona, Nomen Est Numen

Family Time

The family dinner has long been an example of family togetherness. But recently, scientists have been coming up with compelling reasons — including a lowered risk of smoking, drinking and doing illicit drugs among teenagers — for families to pull up a chair around the table.

The interest in the ritual may have been spurred by concerns that the number of families who do not dine together is increasing. According to several surveys, 30 to 40 percent of families do not eat dinner together five to seven nights a week, though most families eat dinner together some days a week.

–Laurie Tarkan, Benefits of the Dinner Table, New York Times

Joy

Kali In An Onion

I heft the white onion in my right hand;
the sunlight slanting through the window
caresses it, brings a glow to this smooth moon.
In my left hand I grasp a knife, blade glinting;
as homage to mother Kali, I split the globe.
Peeling off the outer layer, a husk of secrets;
vulnerable, the cloven orb rests passively.
Again I lift the knife, slicing, chopping,
breaking integrity of form into mosaic
pieces, a small supernova of pungency.
My eyes weep, observing the demise of
unity, while my heart trills with joy.

It’s A Small World

Oh, I know that’s trite. Trite, but true.

I belong to an Internet community called Orkut. When I learned we were moving to this area, I joined some communities, such as the South Bay Area community, and sent a message, a call for information. I was open to whatever advice people wanted to give a newbie. Well, a very nice man named George was among those responding, and I liked his warmth. I read his profile and thought, “This is a neat person!” So I extended an invitation to become friends, which he accepted. Granted, he hardly knows me, but in these communities the concept of friend is defined loosely.

Anyhow, during the two visits I’ve had with Tish, she has spoken highly — nay, raved — about her friend George. He is so cool that he danced with her to Leonard Cohen. (I don’t know about you, but most men in my life have demurred at any suggestion of dancing, so any man who will boogie is wonderful indeed.)

Her enthusiasm about George sparked my curiosity, so I went to his blog. And wouldn’t you know, it’s the very same George! (Insert a quote from the Bugs Bunny cartoon where Hugo the Abominable Snowman finds Bugs and says “I will love him and hug him and pet him and squeeze him and I will call him George.)

A brief perusal of George’s blog provided some advice on how Movies are cheaper than therapy or pills. Below is an excerpt of his take on a movie that’s been hot in my little circle.

A. and I did get to see “What the Bleep Do We Know,” which annoyed the shit out of me. (Repetition of the phrase “quantum physics” by a slew of experts and special effects to describe peptides’ and hormones’ effects on humans doesn’t help. Biting the pacing of “The Matrix,” railing against addiction/overprescription of anti-anxiety/SSRI drugs and using a leaden overlay of story doesn’t help. Use of a Magic Negro with a basketball to explain superpositioning and a third-eye-touching shaman to explain how Native Americans learned how to see Columbus’ ships really, really, really doesn’t help.

Thank you, George. You’ve saved me some time. I owe you!

Moderate Muslim Reflects On Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens

But Mr. Islam’s expulsion from the US shows how ill-equipped the Bush administration still is – three years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 – to ferret out the real terrorists from the quirkier followers of a religion that is increasingly the target of Islamophobes. For Muslims like me who have worked tirelessly to bring moderate voices forward as our religion is seized by extremists from within and put under siege by Islam’s detractors from without, the Yusuf Islam episode is mostly counterproductive because it not only increases the rage in rational segments of Muslim society, it violates the fundamental principles by which America holds itself out as a beacon of freedom and liberty to the rest of the world. We have to be better if we are to hold others accountable for their misdeeds.

Either Attorney General John Ashcroft and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge should make the evidence against Mr. Islam public and detail it sufficiently that all can see his sins in an objective light, or they should issue an official apology to the peace activist and explain how American laws got hijacked in such a cavalier manner. The Patriot Act’s provisions, it seems, have run amok.

—

I have argued vigorously before on these pages and in other international media that our responsibility to stand up as citizens in a time of war and crisis takes precedence over enjoying the civil rights afforded us by the sacrifices of those who have given their lives so we can live free. But when the type of global citizenship displayed by Mr. Islam, which goes to the very heart of what humanity is about, is struck down by artificial and arbitrary implementation of US antiterrorism statutes, it’s time to reexamine those laws, and to reexamine the license to practice of those who are charged with protecting our civil liberties.

–Mansoor Ijaz, One way to alienate moderate Muslims: deport Cat, Christian Science Monitor

As for why Yusuf Islam’s intentions are perceived with skepticism, you’ll find some source links in the comments of this post. Thanks to Dave for his input.

Let The Cat Out

Hmmm.

Puzzled and angry at being barred from the United States, the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens returned to London on Thursday vowing to find out why.

—News from The Associated Press

Interesting. I heard him speak in 1984 (85?) at Syracuse University. From the information available, it seems Yusuf Islam’s mission in life is to promote peace. I’d like to see the information the government says indicates he has been involved with activities potential related to terrorism. This should not have happened.

[via Axe Handles]

Tonight’s Movie Night!

Another blogger asked for suggestions of movies she should see and why. So I’m going to take her up on the challenge and reply to her, but I thought I’d post them here as well. It’s hard. I could easily list a hundred movies that I’ve enjoyed, or that deeply affected me. But I’ve limited myself to about half a dozen as a beginning. They are (in no particular order):

1. Passion Fish (1992) A story of two women–one recently wheelchair-bound who angrily resists assistance and the reality of her life, the other her nurse attendant, who stubbornly refuses to be driven out because she needs the job–and the transformation of their lives as the relationship evolves into a healing friendship.

2. The Trip to Bountiful (1985) A poignant story of an elderly woman’s “escape” from living with her preoccupied son and stingy daughter-in-law in a cramped apartment, on a journey to visit to her small Texas hometown one last time.

3. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) A tale of a 10-year-old girl set in beautiful Ireland, who explores the mysteries of a family legend and discovers the magic of an open mind.

4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) An innocent man is unjustly convicted to a life sentence for the murder of his wife, and demonstrates the importance and resilience of hope within restrictive circumstances.

5. Chocolat (2000) A single mother with a young daughter opens a chocolate shop across the Church in a conservative French town. There is resistance, but over time she wins the hearts of townspeople, and learns that standing her ground rather than fleeing does not compromise her autonomy.

6. Amelie (2001) Sweet, hopeful, quirky Amelie creates meaning in her life by trying to help others and discovers the reward of opening her heart in spite of the risks.

7. Sling Blade (1996) A profoundly moving story on the level of a Greek tragedy, about love and the primitive responses it can evoke.

Springtime Serenade

I’ve been serenaded today by the Indigo Girls. They have such incredibly melodious voices and lyrics of substance. In particular, I’ve set the car CD player to repeat Southland in the Springtime. It’s kind of a lullabye, with a soft, meandering pace. Here’s the portion of the lyrics that spoke to me.

Maybe we’ll make Texas by the morning
Light the bayou with our tailights in the night
800 miles to El Paso from the stateline
And we never had the money for the flight
In the backseat sleepy from our travels
Played our hearts out all night long in New Orleans
Dirty from the diesel fumes drinking coffee black
When the first breath of Texas comes in clean

And there’s something bout the Southland in the springtime
Where the waters flow with confidence and reason
Though I miss her when I’m gone, it won’t ever be too long
Till I’m home again to spend my favorite season
When God made me born a yankee he was teasin’
There’s no place like home and none more pleasin’
Than the Southland in the springtime

The lyrics and pace remind me of a Melissa Etheridge song that I love, You Can Sleep While I Drive. I was also struck by how Amy Ray’s voice has a roughness that makes me think of Etheridge. I’ve seen Etheridge in concert several times, and they were power-packed events. I’d like the hear the Indigo Girls someday.

Shame On Christof Loy

American soprano opera singer Deborah Voigt has been denied the opportunity to sing at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London, because she does not fit the casting director’s vision of the character and cannot “fit into the little black cocktail dress chosen for the character.”

The reason?

… as audiences are graying, opera houses are looking for ways to pack in a younger crowd. Casting directors trying to make opera hip may be turned off by “big hips,” like those Ms. Voigt admits to owning.

[New York Times]

28 Days Later: the Movie

What 28 Days Later had to offer was some amazing scenery: chilling images of London abandoned and in disarray; pastoral green hills dotted with castle ruins; horses running free; long shots of flower fields; mesmerizing kinetics of windmills. The absence of normal human life unfolding intensified the loneliness of the barren landscapes, creating an an eerie atmosphere.

Unfortunately I had not read much about it, so I was under the mistaken impression it was an existential movie. In reality, it was a horror flick that focused on sudden gory scenes. The premise of the movie is that animal activists released monkeys from a lab that had been infected with a highly contagious virus that generates rage and murderous behavior. I desired a movie that explored the issue of what it would be like to live in a world emptied of normal humanity. The film skated toward it, but the primary purpose was to create suspense and startle the viewer, both with sudden loud noises and movements and with gruesome images.

Attempts to integrate lighter moments didn’t do much for the story line. There’s a scene in the movie where the refugees find an abandoned grocery store and run around grabbing food joyously, like exiles finding manna from heaven. Another scene was when the protagonist wakes up just in time to hop in the car the next morning, and asks if he missed breakfast, with teasing laughter in response. These scenes did not ring true. The movie ended on an improbably upbeat note inconsistent with the plot.

The character development was limited, and so I did not feel invested in their fates. The interactions were wooden and yet somehow the acting felt overwrought. The budding romance between Jim and Selena was obvious and trite. The movie also featured characters doing obviously stupid things — standard horror movie fare: walking into dark buildings, driving into an abandoned tunnel, making lots of noise and using light at night when the monsters come out. And a virus that takes only 10-20 seconds to effect such radical change? It stretches belief.

I was looking for a movie with a realistic tone, and this one that failed to compel me. Spare yourself the aggravation. Go rent Finding Nemo, which is a fine piece of animation and voice-acting. Lots of fun, and sweet, too.

Monster (The Movie)

This afternoon I met a friend to watch Monster. Oy, was that one heavy trip of a movie. I’ve read a number of reviews, some praising it to the hills, others contending it portrayed the real-life Lee Wuornos as a cariciature or a heroine. Wuornos apparently contradicted her story many times and made preposterous comments; for example, she claimed to have had sex with 250,000 men — such a feat would require relations with 35 men daily for two decades.

On the other hand, just looking at photos one can see the obviously difficut life she had. Wuornos was born in 1956; her father was a child molester and sociopath who later committed suicide. Her mother divorced him just before Wuornos was born and later left her and brother Keith with the grandparents, who adopted them (but did not reveal their true relationship until Lee was 12, and she subsequently rebelled against them); they were strict and physically abusive. Keith died of cancer at age 21. The grandmother, an alcoholic, committed suicide. By age 14 Wuornos had given birth (the child was put up for adoption); she quit school, began living on the streets, and turned tricks before she was old enough to drive a car.

If all this sounds too horrific to be real, think again. I’ve counseled numerous people who experienced abuses that stretch one’s capacity to comprehend. How can humans be so evil to others? What causes some to react violently? The movie did an admirable job portraying the desperate resignation permeating Wuornos’s worldview. In Monster, after she began murdering men, when her lesbian lover found out, Wuornos talked about how people are killed every day, that it’s all just fighting to survive or to the death. She claimed she was trying to protect Selby (in real life Tyria Moore) — to provide for and take care of her so Selby could retain her hopeful perspective about life. Wuornos’s raw bravado and macho stance as the breadwinner is painful to watch. After the first murder, she made an attempt to quit hooking and find a regular job. However, she was clueless about the type of effort needed to achieve her grand (or grandiose) goals. Having no skills and a felony record, everywhere Wuornos turned she was rejected, and not gently. Her response to that was an escalation of ever-present belligerance, desperation, and rage.

The movie didn’t, in my view, glorify her motives. Nor did it ask the viewer to excuse or forgive Wuornos because on her nightmarish origins. She was not likable, even in the moments she was portrayed as happy with Selby. She was a woman degraded and dehumanized by circumstances and who responded in kind.

So what’s the attraction of such a movie? Well, in part it’s the docudrama aspect of it. In fact, a documentary was released in 1992 about her life. Because female serial killers are rare, such a person garners a lot of curiosity and attention. It was a sad movie to watch, a testament to the millions of people who have traversed a similar path, all because of having the bad luck to be born into terrible circumstances — though most do not respond accordingly. I suppose the movie serves as a reality check for many people, to remind us that there but for Grace go we.

Aileen Wuornos was executed in October 2002. You can read more about her life here.