The Best Things

The freedom of the open road is not taken on free bicycles.

They say the best things in life are free. Whoever they are. Unfortunately, they are incorrect. Sure, a hike, sunshine on your face, a nap in the shade are all free, but let's see how long you last walking around, basking in the sun without any clothes, shoes, or breakfast. Some things in life are free. The smell of a newborn: free. The smell of a newborn's diaper: also free. Are they the best things in life?

How many things in "My Favourite Things" from the Sound of Music are free?

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens: totally free.
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens: not at all free.
Brown paper packages tied up with strings: not usually free, unless they're gifts.
These are a few of my favorite things : sure.
Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels: entirely not free.
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles: no, no free lunch.
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings: OK, I'll give you that.
These are a few of my favorite things: as you've previously asserted.
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes: no free sashes of satin, I'm afraid.
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes: well, yes.
Silver-white winters that melt into springs: of course.
These are a few of my favorite things: you're about 50-50 on free-not free scale.

As you can tell, many fine aspects of living are free, most of the time, but the "things" in life, sadly, are not. This is a pickle (pickles are also not free), because in life you need a lot of things. Even if you are the most conscientious consumer, you'll find yourself consciously consuming. I've tried to live my life with less stuff. I stopped at four bicycles because storage space is frankly more costly than the bikes themselves. OK, I hear myself saying "four bicycles" and realize I only need one, but four bicycles is still a lot less stuff than a single car. I enjoy a well-worn pair of leather shoes, blue jeans, or a favoured t-shirt, but eventually, you have to replace them. Years ago, I kvetched about my seemingly chronic state of poverty (as a student, you need things but cannot afford them). A friend said, "Money can't buy happiness." I quickly retorted, “No, but it buys freedom." Freedom from the cold, freedom from hunger, and mostly, freedom from the coercion of capitalism. Money is freedom from making decisions like "rent vs food", or "new shoes vs patched shoes".

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Seen in April

The Orion spacecraft was a big thing on TV.

Another brief month with only a single film seen. This is becoming a pattern. It'd be fine if I was, I don't know, reading more, or learning to play a medieval instrument, but tis not the case.

David Sedaris
Massey Hall
One of America's most prolific and successful humorists, Sedaris got a late start as an author. He was in his mid-thirties working odd jobs when he was discovered by radio producer and host, Ira Glass. Within a few years, he published his first of a string of bestselling collections of essays. It was from Sedaris' writing that I first heard the term, "creative non-fiction," to describe his oeuvre. He weaves ideas and humour from anecdotes based on his own life. Part of his success is undoubtedly his live shows where he reads from past or current works, a bit like a touring Charles Dickens. His show is full of humour, which at times can be on the dark side, but also a tinge of bitterness or heartache. There's the beauty of it, and we were glad to witness it.

Artemis Il Mission
YouTube, Netflix
I'm too young to have seen the Apollo moon landing, but old enough to remember it being part of the zeitgeist. I'm also old enough to have seen that interest and fascination wane. The space program has faced the absurdity of conspiracists and the trials of dwindling funding but seemed re-energized by the Rover missions to Mars. Seeing the headline on the cover of a newspaper that "we" had landed on Mars is an enduring one for me. Now seeing four astronauts, including a Canadian, venture further from Earth than any human has before has again re-ignited our collective passion. Seeing the ease at which we could partake via streaming video belies the difficulty of the mission itself. Regrettably, just as NASA has achieved one of its greatest successes, we've never seen a more anti-science stance from an American administration, and the funding restrictions currently threatening the agency could effectively stall the momentum they've built.

Steve Carrell as Greg Russo.

Rooster S01
HBO, Crave
Steve Carell’s new show has him playing an author, Greg Russo, who writes a popular series of pulpy "beach reads" whose protagonist is named Rooster. Russo accepts the role of a visiting writer-in-residence at a small East Coast liberal arts college in a deal with the dean. The deal is to save Russo's daughter's job, who teaches there. So it's a sort of fish-out-of-water/workplace comedy (Russo's popular novels are generally looked down upon by other faculty). There are other complications, but let's just say Carell’s charm, the depth of the cast, and quality of the writing all make for an enjoyable show.

Alan Tudyk as Harry.

Resident Alien S01
Netflix
Alan Tudyk stars as Harry Vanderspeigle but also not Harry Vanderspeigle. Harry is simply the cover of an alien who has crashed on Earth during a mission. The alien stumbles into the human Harry's cabin, kills him, and takes his form and identity. Basically, it's like Mork & Mindy updated (even sharing a Colorado location - why does Colorado have all the luck?) as "Harry" tries to navigate complicated human relationships while trying to recover the missing equipment that would allow him to complete his mission. It's (mostly) harmless fun as Tudyk portrays the alien as an arrogant but clueless stranger in a strange land. It does occur to me that in the context of the popularity of Love on the Spectrum, that has introduced so many viewers to the variety of those on the autism spectrum, one wonders if this show had been made a few years later, how different it might have been. Meeting someone behaving oddly, people familiar with autism might kindly assume the individual was on the spectrum and accept him as such, but where's the fun in that?

Paul McCartney: Man on the Run
Prime Video
As previously said, I'm too "young" to have been around when the Beatles were at their greatest fame, but old enough to constantly hear their music. I also recall the odd slights and derision of Paul McCartney's follow-up act, Wings. It was odd because I could see adults lightly brushing off a band that was also remarkably popular. Plenty of the band's songs were on the radio constantly, including the simple but classic “ Mull of Kintyre.” Seeing this movie about those early years following the demise of the Beatles makes a compelling companion piece to the 10-hour documentary, “ Get Back.” We see McCartney struggle, stumble, and succeed, and the importance of Linda and his kids in his finding his way back to the stage. The documentary is almost entirely told through home movies and family photos. It helps if you want to tell the story of a famous musician if they are married to a talented and accomplished photographer. It's that intimacy that makes this film worth seeing.