Monday, October 20, 2008

2008-10-19

Mick took me to church and then traveled fifteen miles down the interstate to deposit an opossum which he caught overnight in our have-a-heart trap. We are trying to clear the yard of critters who steal Dan D.’s food, and the supply of them seems substantial! The score stands at three raccoons and a possum – so far. And still trapping! Mick says he may give it a rest till next weekend.

I love coming back into the house after the service is over on Sundays. The smell of bleach in the bathroom and the shining cleanliness everywhere speak of a home well loved. Mick is a terrific housekeeper!

Over lunch we saw a small, earnest and gentle film written by and starring Philippe Caland, with Forest Whitaker, Minnie Driver and Virginia Madsen offering a solid ensemble. It was called Ripple Effect. The burden of the story was that you never know what effect an action of yours might have on others. It was short and unpretentious and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Forest Whitaker shone as a philosophical paraplegic with good things to say.

After a nap for Mick and some reading for me – I kept having to tend to interstitial cystitis symptoms and never could find sleep – we watched the blockbuster film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film had been panned when it came out as derivative and lacking in plot. Those criticisms were solid. The energy of the first film was backed by a varied story with a strong plot line and intriguing minor characters. The energy of this sequel was not so well backed in terms of the plot line. However Shia LaBeouf was taking as a character reminiscent of one of the TV stars of my youth, Edd Byrnes, in his role as Kooky (Kooky, lend me your comb). Cate Blanchett was a good villainess to balance the stoic heroism of Harrison Ford, although I kept seeing her as Bob Dylan, which confused her intended impact! And John Hurt and Karen Allen rounded out a good ensemble. We enjoyed the adventure story's rich supply of weird effects, occult skulls, zombies and all-around action.

Mick offered the closing prayer at the Gaia Meditation tonight.