Seen in May

Ralf Fiennes as Ulysses in The Return.

Ok, so this May I did see more than this, but re-watching Conclave, and Andor S01 doesn't count for a "seen in…" mention. Also, I'm still watching Andor S02, The Studio and Daredevil: Born Again. Furthermore, May is the month I was trying really hard to get in shape for the Bike for Brain Health charity ride and watched a very entertaining Giro d'Italia, so that made a short list even shorter.

Circusboy
Hot Docs
A young boy doesn't have to run away to join the circus when he's born in it. This is a very charming documentary about three generations of a family who all live, work and perform in a family-owned and operated circus. In many ways, this seems like a dream life for a kid. Growing up surrounded by family, extended family living close by, climbing anything climable, hanging out with animals and learning to ride a dirt bike. Yet, they basically live out of a trailer, move from town to town every two weeks, going to a new school every two weeks and never really being settled anywhere. Despite all of this, and what I may have thought as a "carnie" existence, our young protagonist is a thoughtful, smart, funny, bright and kind little fellow. It's fascinating and captivating.

The Gardener and the Dictator
Hot Docs
An endearing portrait of the filmmaker's grandparents and her grandmother in particular. It's certainly fascinating to meet the filmmaker's grandparents, who raised her until she was 5 or 6, which explains her closeness to them. It's also engrossing to see regular people, living regular lives in an aging neighbourhood in China, while the government is trying to encourage residents to move to a different city with new buildings. Of course, this couple, who have lived in this apartment and neighbourhood for decades aren't keen on leaving but that is really a side note to meeting this couple.

Read more »

I'm Busy Doing Nothing

From Tom Gauld's, Physics for Cats.

For reasons unknown to modern science, I dawdle. It might be one of the great mysteries of life, why we, as a species, enjoy looking at clouds, watching fog roll in, or the effects of the wind in the trees. In fact, I genuinely enjoy a good dawdle. I muck about. I futz. Sure you could say I mess about and procrastinate, but procrastination is more about putting off a difficult task you aren't keen on. That's not what I mean, though to be clear, I put the "pro" in procrastination and sometimes I also put the "crass" in procrastination, but I do not put the "nation" in procrastination, that is entirely up to the ministry of foreign affairs, which when you think about does sound like you're up to a bit of naughty fun with a visiting dignitary. See what I mean? It's like I actually procrastinate from procrastinating. When I futz about, I am talking about all the time I waste doing nothing in between other times when I'm doing nothing, and I do so industriously.

I've heard a story that Steve Jobs was so infuriated by how long it took a computer to start up, he calculated how much of his year was wasted sitting unproductively in front of a machine. He challenged his engineers to improve the start-up time. They couldn't, so instead they created "sleep mode" which put the computer into a low-energy mode that could be "awakened" almost instantaneously, giving the appearance of a fast start-up time. The lesson is that even very smart people can't complete an assigned task and will be forced instead to trick their boss into thinking they've done it. Unfortunately, that innovation led us to never shutting our machines off. I used to be like Steve Jobs and hated wasting precious minutes of my day until I heard Douglas Copeland's term, "Time Snack", which he coined to refer to the small moments when a device reboots to relax and take a micro-break from work. I now embrace the slowdown in our work day that slow machines give us. I'm still weirdly impatient, but I'm also weirdly good at wasting my own time. In a sense, I wonder if I dawdle/futz/muck about so that my body feels busy, but my mind is at rest. Let me relate an example of this.

Read more »

What is good?

Everything is design. The work of Paul Rand defined modern design.

A short retrospective film created more than 20 years ago for American design icon Paul Rand's induction to The One Club Hall of Fame, by LA-based design studio Imaginary Forces, encapsulates a few of Rand’s greatest insights. The audio for the piece came from a 1997 interview, "Conversations with Paul Rand". As a designer, I was very aware of Rand's work (not to be confused with American politician Rand Paul), but wasn't as familiar with his writing or teaching. Born Peretz Rosenbaum in 1914, in Brooklyn, Rand (who later changed his name either due to misspellings or to avoid bias) took a $25 certificate course at the Pratt Institute to study art. Today, a semester at Pratt can cost $30 K. After extending his studies at the Parsons School of Design (another revered school) he began his career in 1932. This is really the very early days of design as a profession, from graphic design, industrial design, to interior design, when design specialties began appearing. This generation of designers created the practice and principles that define those professions today. Apart from being an influential designer, Rand was also a remarkable teacher. His belief that design should be visually pleasing as well as functionally effective drove his work for magazines, advertising and most memorably, logo design. His many mantras, such as “Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations,” demonstrate that he also had a knack for capturing heady ideas in a simple, concise fashion.

Read more »

Losing my religion

Arlin Marshall (1955), photo by Bob Mizer, from, "Beefcakes and monkeys: Bob Mizer's muscle men" via The Guardian. Needless to say, my beefcake days are either well behind me or far ahead.

Me: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been a week since my last workout, and I accuse myself of the following sins: I've been indulging in chocolate and ice cream bars and carelessly ingesting carbs.

Gym Priest: Alright, my child, say five "Our Fathers" for your penance, track your eating habits and nutritional intake with an app on your phone, don't forget to take 5 mg of Creatine with a glass of water each day, write down and plan your exercise goals for the week, and remember to stay hydrated.

Me: Thank you, Father

I have genuflected at the altar of weights in great hopes of altering my weight, but I'm stuck and feel like I'm going backwards. I've been trying so hard to get back into "game shape" to do this charity ride by focusing on more difficult rides, biking wherever I go, and hitting the gym for resistance training. Yet, the only resistance I'm getting is from my body. They say, "Use it or lose it," meaning, I assume, the more you use your legs, the longer you'll be able to use them - like a sort of muscle generator. Lately though, rather than getting stronger, it feels like I'm wearing myself out. Aren't there only so many miles my knees can take before the warranty is void? I'm not just feeling worn out, but I feel like I'm wearing out. Not fully broken, but limping towards the finish line.

Read more »

How to Remain Positive

You can buy the vibe at TeePublic.

After another silenced spring for Leafs' fans, I've been thinking how not to let it get me down. I proposed finding a nice cave with a contemplative view of nature. With cave prices being what they are these days, an alternative might be to find a way to improve my attitude. A quick Internet search led me to the Mayo Clinic's page on Stress Management. I'd like to share some of their insights, if I may.

It begins like this:
Identify negative thinking.
Focus on positive thinking.

Well, that was easy. Unfortunately, we know the human mind doesn't work that way. You can't just tell someone who is worrying, not to worry and assume your work here is done.

Here is a list of actions to make your outlook more positive:

Read more »

Seen in April

A dog and a robot become fast friends.

Last One Standing UK
Prime Video
Ha! Why is everything funnier in a British accent? This reality show contest fills a room with comedians who attempt to not laugh at the shenanigans of their counterparts. The first one to laugh is kicked out, the last one laughing is the winner. This show has American and Canadian versions, but the British one is superior… because of those accents!

Robot Dreams
Crave
Oh, do you remember that night in September? A lonely dog living in New York City orders a robot companion. They become fast friends until an incident at the beach separates the two. This animated film, without dialogue, says a lot about relationships, friendship, memory and moving on. 

Saint-Pierre SO1
CBC Gem
Like Murdoch Mysteries in the 21st century, on a French Island off the southern coast of Newfoundland. It's a little hard to believe so many murders happen in a place that had only a single shooting during the rum-running days, but suspend disbelief and enjoy the view.

Read more »