Weighty Matters

I have nothing exciting to say, so I thought I'd mention Mary Stella's blog. She's a Betty who recently had weight loss surgery and she'd blogging about the after-days. It's just very interesting. Well all the blogs I read are interesting, but it's interesting in re. this specific subject. For example, I knew you couldn't eat large quantities of food in one sitting, but it didn't occur to me that out on a hot day you wouldn't be able to throw back a ton of water all at once. Interesting, interesting...

I never seem able to read blogs on a daily basis, so end up catching up about once a week. And sometimes time goes by so fast I think it's been 3 days and then realize it's been 14! Heavens. I keep Google Chrome just for blog reading, I have all the blogs I read open in tabs, and open Chrome when I'm ready to read them. I leave them on the last post I read in case there was a reply (cause getting replies in my in box wasn't working for me.) So I open it up and am all "What the-! That long!"

I'm rubbing my sleepy-eyes so can't even finish catching up on Mary Stella's. Will return tomorrow.

zzzzz...

 

Let's not follow the lines today

Usually after the Oscars I like to post the best eccentric dresses, normally drawn from the "Worst" lists. But the dresses I just scanned were all so drab, I think we'll all take much more inspiration from the works of Viktor & Rolf...

Eccentric doesn't bother me. 'Eccentric' being a poetic interpretation of a mathematical term meaning something that doesn't follow the lines - that's okay.  (Crispin Glover)

   

Alas poor character, he was TSTL

Hallos! Been sleeping a lot. I feel a bit brain dead. I'll post some new pics soon, but for now I'm too sleepy... always sleepy...

Tonight we watched a horror movie (more like a monster movie) called The Mist, based on a Stephen King novella. The creatures were fun looking, and the characters likable. I especially liked that one of the secondary protagonists/action heroes was a short, balding, glasses, mild mannered assistant manager at the grocery store where they're trapped.

However the hero was the usual chiseled chin sort, and the other good guys white. My other main problem was that the characters were, in internet parlance, To Stupid to Live. It's so aggravating. Cause it brings me out of the movie, and makes me feel like stuff is being done just for the plot, rather than actions flowing naturally from the plot.

I can think of two good examples, off hand, of horror movies that are good at dotting the i's, crossing the t's: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, and Misery. Both are about one person trapped by another in a house, and every time you think "She/he should just___" either the baddie closes that possibility, or the protagonist tries and fails. Which makes you, as the viewer, feel trapped too! You're really there with the protagonist, wondering desperately how you'll ever get out!

In these trapped-by-baddies movies, like zombie movies, you kind of need one of the characters, in each instance, to give voice to what the audience is asking. And have those questions answered. Otherwise it feels like the director/writer thinks we're Too Stupid to Notice.

Hmph! Not that I don't have favorite stories with plot holes in them. But in a movie where the characters are pretty stock, like The Mist, then there's not much to distract me from foolish behavior. I'd be interested to hear of any movies/books you think are well plotted in this respect. Or poorly...
   

West Coast Sanitorium Time Begins

Hi ho, Mabel the Frog here, reporting from the West Coast!

So after staying up all night--le sigh--I went to catch my first flight. Because my dad worked for an airline I fly standby. I noticed at 4 AM that the first flight I was going to try was now oversold, so I switched to Toronto instead, and from there there's flights to Vancouver almost every hour. I got on both no problem.

Here is my little dollar store Paris notebook. And I finally chose Nancy Mitford. The books take place around WWI WWII, and since I just watched Downton (WWI) and read Westwood (WWII) and Charing Cross (WWII) it seemed like the right thing. And Downton and Westwood relate to rich people in big houses, as does Mitford. And they're all English. We're on a theme here, people. Ms. Brownlow said she'll try reading hers' too (though it doesn't have a tacky 70s cover like mine, and she has some eye problems that flared up again.)

 

Waiting in Toronto. Lovely sun! I usually travel in the afternoon/evening, so this was weird.

It was so bright out I had my shade closed most of the time. Watched the new Arthur movie (not great, but lots of silliness and good lines.) When I opened for a peak we were over the Rockies! It's fantastic when there's no clouds and you can see them! But I couldn't get my camera in time, and the clouds returned.

Here is clouds.

Here we is descending into the clouds.

And got our mountains then. 

Floating logs down the river, like the Log Drivers' Waltz! (Pleases girls completely.)

Downtown Vancouver.

You know you're on the West Coast when...

You can see why students from BC were surprised at how little aboriginal issues are A Thing in Montreal. (Well, they were A Thing in 1990 but not in a good way.) I believe it's because (a) the Oppressed Peoples dialogue all gets taken up by language issues; (b) there isn't as big a population as in some provinces (Quebec 3%, Manitoba 10%); and (c) West Coast tribes have a very different history in terms of politics and assimilation. In one respect that's reflected in how much art there is--when you weren't not fighting off winter to survive, you had time to carve stuff!

 

After hours in a plane, standing there watching a carousel kills the soul. Luckily standby bags go on last, so come out first.

Waiting for a lift not so bad, especially when it's 9 degrees (48F) and sunny! 

But still boring so I took pics. Look what happened to my suitcase! Lol. Looks like it fell into salty water or snow (salt for de-icing) and then dried. It's ok, the suitcase is cruddy and old.

Look at this bag. I bought it over a year ago on my last Employee Discount shopping trip at the bookstore, and it doesn't get dirty! Look at those clean handles!

Only one smudge of dirt on the bottom, even though it fell on the wet pavement when I was leaving my building!

Isn't it cute? In case I forget my alphabet.

 

My lug bag for my computer. It was 75% and then I got my 30% off discount too. Paid about $5.

Hair baubles from a Japanese dollar store, to identify the luggage.

 Waiting for the ferry (I didn't bother trying for a flight they were all oversold.) Last bit of sun before clouds came. You can also fly over by float plane, which is beeeoootiful, but $60 as opposed to $14. And I enjoy the ferry ride, it's scenic and peaceful.

Out the ferry window.

It's very cold to stand on the deck once the ferry picks up speed, even in summer. But for the last 10 minutes I put on my mittens and hat and scarf and braved it. And then froze my hands off taking you some pics! They turned out rather well--the lighting as the sun went down was perfect.

Two of the many islands we passed.

 

Coming up to the Nanaimo coast.

 

 (Nanaimo's on Vancouver Island. ...Vancouver, however, is not on Vancouver Island.) 

 There's some gated community condos up top, but they are picturesque from afar.

Despite the cold, it was so beautiful and so peaceful I took a few deep breaths as we came in, and had my exhale moment.

Departure Bay by Diana Krall

Someone's video of the ferry ride (though leaving from a different port.)

   

O the Inertia of it All!

I've been procrastipacking all day. Like... do one thing to prep for my trip tomorrow, rest, do one thing, rest. And now of course I'm sleepy but can't go to bed. Packfail.

I have no energy these days. Minion and Haley are taking advantage by tag teaming their cuddles while I loll on the couch reading blogs. And taking too long to compose blog comments.

Ohhhh the inertia of it all.

So the Once Greatly Important question of which books to pack has been made easier by le e-reader. Just take the kobo with me, and choose what I want to read from that selection--which is about 30 books. I usually bring a physical book too, though, cause I like to read at take off and landing which is when electronic devices get the boot. I don't know whether to bring the Katie Fforde book with me. It's a quite large trade size. Decisions decisions.

In Leonard Cohen's song "Coming Back to You" the song ends with the idea that the song's been written as a way of avoiding going back to the lover in question. "And all I've said is just instead of coming back to you."

I wonder how many blog posts should end: And all I've written is just instead of [packing, or other chore of the moment.]

5 AM update: Sigh, of course, no sleeps. (Neeeessun doooormaaaa! No sleep toniiiiight!) Just this slow lethargic packing. Everything's been tossed in, now to consult the checklist. And maybe cull a few clothes.

Universal Kitteh Packing Help, after the video...

Madame bathes in suitcase

  

One Cat's Opinion

On my original blog one of my cats, Tigernan (Nombly) had his own editorial column called One Cat's Opinion. Here's what he had to say...