Stories & SNippets : 2023
…and observations, journals, & musings on music, film, books, art, and pretty things. and life in general.
January 2023
Assorted films & telly:
The Fablemans. Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical take on his childhood and the role his parents’ relationship had on his interest in movies and storytelling. His ability to take take mundane incidents and endow them with qualities that are both familiar and magical is peerless.
The Last of Us (HBO series, episode 1, 1-17). I’m in. Sold on the post-apocalyptic setup, interested in the characters, very nervous suddenly about fungi.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. The darkest iteration by far. Well written, scary, beautiful, my favorite.
See How They Run. Underrated little 1950s-set murder-mystery, with a delightful pairing of Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan.
January 02
Hit the Road. Iranian road trip film. Slow, moving, funny, poignant, and a distinct look at a culture and geography that are largely unfamiliar to me, yet against the backdrop of a family made up of people with familiar challenges and feelings. Watched with just me.
January 26
SOTD: Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata
Music
Men Without Hats
Picture Books of Note
Art & Max by David Wiesner (2010)
The Bird Coat - Inger Marie Kjølstadmyr & Øyvind Torseter (2022, a serious and somewhat-shocking one, for a ‘children’s book,’ but deals with the nature of grief being a part of life)
Edward Hopper Paints His World - Robert Burleigh, paintings by Wendell Minor (2014)
Everybody Needs a Rock - Byrd Baylor, pictures by Peter Parnall (1974)
Flotsam by David Wiesner (2006)
The Fort That Jack Built by Boni Ashburn, illustrated by Brett Helquist (2013)
Freedom in Congo Square - Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory Christie (2016)
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs - as retold by Mo Willems (2012)
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood (1985)
Lenny the Lobster Can’t Stay for Dinner…or can he? You decide! by Michael and Finn Buckley, illustrated by Catherine Meurisse (2019)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present - Charlotte Zolotow, pictures by Maurice Sendak (1962)
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch (1980)
River by Elisha Cooper (2019)
Scratch Scratch Screw Plop! by Kitty Crowther (2015)
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1969)
Tuesday by David Wiesner (1991)
Umbrella by Taro Yashima (1958)
We Shall Overcome by Bryan Collier (2021)
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas (1984)
Other Books
A 15-yo immersed in Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
February 2023
Assorted films & telly:
Tehran. Started at 6am on a Sunday morning with Becca. Israeli agent ends up stuck in Iran…intense in first-season of 24 type of way.
Slow Horses. Gary Oldman is just a gem of a terrible hero at a branch of MI5 for losers.
Picture Books of Note
The Boring Book by Sinsuke Yoshitake (2017)
Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say (1993)
Madeline and the Old House in Paris by John Bemelmans Marciano (2013)
The Old Man by Sarah V, illustrated by Claude Dubois, translated by Daniel Hahn (2018)
A Polar Bear in the Snow - Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris (2020)
February 09
There was crispy sun on a winter day, and I helped out in mathematics, and spoke to multiple people for short interchanges. I did some writing at a coffee shop. Becca picknicked outside with some boys and met up at the river for walking and talking and throwing rocks, before heading home for leftover borscht soup and finishing Wakanda Forever, which we are not overly impressed with.
February 13
The sun was murdered by the deluge dumping down upon the fern-filled forest of Yale Lake, as some amongst us searched for salamanders and minotaurs on this gray day immersed in green. I write this with a steady diet of Kings of Leon running. Jonny is just calling to say goodnight as he’s walking in snow, in sandals, to get the mail. My father-in-law joined us for dinner.
February 17
These weeks dance like Gene Kelly, though not with the same consistent panache. Got Moby and Pacific Void Choir going on a Friday night as all slumber in various rooms; three of whom are in the living room as Phil Glass plunks in the background. Reviewed some times tables, threw our Friday go-bags together, hit the library and East Fork Lewis, gathered rocks and books, listened to a 3-year old soprano sing Annie songs as the sun set, returned home to sweet potato curry hot and ready from the Countess, enjoyed a FaceTime with Jonny as he informed me of upcoming memorial plans and our involvement.
February 24
I got to help out with opening arguments for a mock trial coming up - and when I say ‘help out,’ what I mean is that I provided some feedback and minimal suggestions. Got Becca off to work and down a frozen mountain. Some Greek and Latin with my oldest boy. Talked about two qualities of every argument: a conclusion and a premise. Played some chess, did some sledding and snow battles, had some monologic diatribes about how everyone needs to pick up and put away stuff when they get it out, and…let’s see, yep, it was a Friday.
March 2023
Assorted films & telly:
All Quiet on the Western Front.
Arrested Development season 4. The writing and magic starts to fade, but the characters are still worth the watch.
Fall. Terrible, but enjoyable-ish thriller involving two women who scale a thousand-foot television tower, and run into trouble.
Interstellar. After a repeat view, still holds up as one of the best films of this century so far - and an all-time science fiction / speculative fiction classic.
The Last of Us.
Mission Impossible with our Olders. A fresh and fun beginning to a new franchise together.
Servant. The series ends. Not with a bang, but with a shriek and a whimper. Not saying it was a lousy wrap up, but it spent so long slow-burning and leaving you guessing, that I was hoping for a stronger resolution.
Shining Girls (Apple TV limited series)
Triangle of Sadness.
Picture Books of Note
! Exclamation Mark - Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenfeld (2013)
A Child’s Calendar - Poems by John Updike, illustrations by Trina Start Hyman (1999)
Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal (2018)
Baby Says by John Steptoe (1988)
Bedtime for Bo - Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold & Mari Kanstad Johnsen (2022, translated from Norwegian by Kari Dickson)
The Bug Club by Elise Gravel (2021)
Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Lonely, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (2019)
Dusk by URI Shulevitz (2013)
Have You Ever Seen a Flower? by Shawn Harris (2021)
Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski (2016)
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol (2016)
My Baby Crocodile by Gatean Doremus (2016)
My Bison by Gaya Wisniewski (2018)
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr (1987)
Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie by Kimberly and James Dean (2017)
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes - Art by James Dean, story by Eric Litwin (2008)
Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood (1982)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith (1992)
Thank You, Omu! By Oge Mora (2018)
This Book Is Not a Present - written by Max Greenfield, illustrated by Mike Lowery (2022)
Tiny, Perfect Things - M.H. Clark, illustrated by Madeline Kloepper (2018)
The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi (2015)
Uh-Oh, Baby! written by Nancy Coffelt, illustrated by Scott Nash (2013)
What If the Shark Wears Tennis Shoes? by Winifred Morris, illustrated by Betsy Lewin (1990)
The Wills and the Won’ts - written by Angela Woolfe, illustrated by Roland Garrigue (2022)
The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky by Kim Jihyun (2017) - solitude, peace, nature, forest
A Life of Color by Cara Manes, illustrated Fatinha Ramos (2017) - art, art biography, color, creativity
The King.Who Rained by Fred Gwynn (1970) - wordplay, words, dads
Frog, Where Are You? by Mercer Mayer (1969) - friendship, frogs, missing, childhood, play
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (1989) - dads, adventure, bears
Other Books
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (recommended by my SIL Sasha. some extremely uncomfortable scenes of violence; kept me going to find out who is committing horrific acts of atrocity, as a widow looks to unravel the secrets of her husband’s murder and her missing sister).
March 05
Sundays are tough. They provide plentiful opportunities for see-saw emotions, goals set and goals missed, and colliding visions of what balance of productivity and leisure a family of six might do with their time on the day before a hefty Monday. But it was decent. And cold. Had help from three outside for the morning, trimming, pruning, and using his beloved pocket knife. Watched a couple Oscar nominee animated shorts - The Ice Merchants and The Ostrich.
March 13
Waiting in rain, post-vegetarian hot dogs at a big box Swedish store, post-rain-soaked micro-hike, post-add another two dozen books to the mix library trek; two boys and a dad in a foggy white old vehicle with clouds dropping tankfuls on a Monday post-Oscars. My eyelids drop.
March 16
A playlist
This Old Heart - the Isley Brothers
Sweet Sir Galahad
Chinese Cafe/Unchained Melody - Joni Mitchell
Waterloo Sunset - the Kinks
Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers
This House - Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
Late Night - Syd Barrett
Nantucket Sleighride - Mountain
If I Had a Hammer - Peter Paul & Mary
Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton
March 17
Theater ad hoc rehearsals; scheduling shenanigans and rescheduled band concerts lead to upheaval a week before curtain goes up. In the meantime, some boys and I picnic at the skatepark, read a half dozen books at the library and pick up four times that to take home, and meet up with the Countess, whereupon she takes them to Costco for groceries and ice cream. They appear to be in heaven. Previous to that, our daughter struggled with the pronunciation of “peculiar,” and it was hilarious. I am generally the errant word-pronouncer in the family. I had some vigorous discussion with a couple high school seniors, W- and E-, concerning Navy SEALS, Army Corps of Engineers, Nassim Taleb, and summarizing versus synthesizing. Becca had homemade pizza and salad waiting when we arrived home.
March 21
A car goes out. Another car goes out. Becca waits and waits with two children while the price tag goes up, up, up for wheel bearings gone wrong. The sun beats down. I drive her car. It goes dead. Battery issue. A half dozen folks later, I finally get a jump. Cold coffee and a little writing, finally. I speak to Jonny and feel better. There is rehearsal. Play mobiles at home and tired boys. An older boy has the internet go down right as he’s winning an important chess match. This happens as I’m working on a car. I feel I am empathetic and kind. I hope so. It is a long day.
April 2023
Assorted films & telly:
The Last of Us. Slowly making our way through. Still. Increasingly impressed with Bella Ramsey as an actor.
The Lovely Bones. The heartbreaking reactions of the people around dealing with the murder of a 14-year old…the racing tension of the suspense build-up in several scenes: No! Do not do that! Thoughtful and imperfect and gorgeous and one that will stay with me.
The Middle. A feeling of sadness as our family slowly savors the last season.
Missing. The follow-up to Searching. Different world, different characters, same thrills as a teen tries to find her missing mother.
Prospect. 2018 sci fi slow burning thriller heavy on character, easy on effects, worth a watch. Bonus: Pedro Pascal is in it.
Rocky. The slow-building 1976 classic that opened the franchise.
War of the Worlds. Spielberg’s take on the classic. Some tension-ratcheting scenes and (another) solid performance by Dakota Fanning. Possibly the most anti-climactic of his movies; in the bottom third, but you can see where certain inspirations for A Quiet Place and World War Z came from, in terms of staging, sets, and escalating, claustrophobic horror from the supernatural.
Picture books of note
13 Stories About Ayana by Amy Schwartz (2022)
13 Stories About Harris by Amy Schwartz (2020)
A Small Thing…but Big - Tony Johnson, pictures by Hadley Hooper (2016)
A Year Around the Great Oak by Gerda Muller (1991)
Anna at the Art Museum - Hazel Hutchins & Gail Herbert, illustrated by Lil Crump (2018)
Animals Brag About Their Bottoms - Maki Saito (2020)
The Bad Seed - Jory John, illustrations by Pete Oswald (2017 - note: we have read this at least a half dozen times over the last week. It’s a big hit with ages 3 and 6 currently - and 46 :) )
another note: go ahead and add several Jory John books on this list. They find this sweet spot of funny, clever, and narrative, while still carrying some heart and a little messaging. They’re all wonderful:
The Cool Bean (2019)
The Couch Potato (2020)
The Smart Cookie (2021)
The Bear and the Wildcat - written Kazumi Yumoto and illustrated by Kodak Sakai (2011)
The Better Tree Fort by Jessica Scott Kerrin, pictures Qin Leng (2018). Go ahead and add this to your must-read list. A boy helps his dad build a tree fort. Then a neighbor’s dad has one built for his son that’s waaaaay better…for anyone who’s ever felt jealousy or envy or in competition with other parents.
The Book Hog - Greg Pizzoli (2019)
Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak (1962)
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins (1986)
Giraffe Problems - Jory John, illustrated by Lane Smith
Goodnight Already! by Jory John & Benji Davies (2015)
How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler (2014)
I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille, illustrations by Aimee Sicuro (2018). A simple and lovely book about emotions and feelings and the different colors we float through every day.
Imagine a City by Elise Hurst (2014)
In the Meadow - Yukiko Kate, illustrated by Kodak Sakai (2008)
Look! by Ted Lewin (2013)
Me First! by Max Kornell (2014)
Miss Rumphius - story and pictures by Barbara Cooney (1982)
Once Upon a Mouse by Marcia Brown (1961)
Pie is for Sharing - Stephanie Parsley Ledyard, illustrations by Jason Chin (2018)
Pigs to the Rescue - John Himmelman (2010)
The Pirates Are Coming! - John Condon, illustrated by Matt Hunt (2020)
Pom and Tim by Lena and Olof Landström (2014)
The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld (2018)
Something's Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear - Jory John, illustrated by Erin Kraan (2021)
Telling Stories Wrong - Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna, translated from Italian by Antony Shugaar (1980, 2022)
This Beautiful Day - Richard Jackson, illustrated by Suzy Lee (2017)
Trying - written by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Elise Hurst (2021)
Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers (2010)
Vote for ME! by Ben Clanton (2012)
Waiting by Kevin Henkes (2015)
What There Is Before There Is Anything There: A Scary Story - Liniers (2006)
What to Do When You’re Sent to Your Room by Ann Stott, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin (2014)
What’s Your Personality? Francesca Potts (2018). A very simple opening to different personalities. Our family had a great time doing some of the little tests and talking about introversion and extroversion and such breakfast-time topics.
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Diane Goode (1982, Caldecott)
Will We Always Hold Hands? by Christopher Cheng & Stephen Michael King (2021)
The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins (1974)
Other books
Alive in Shape and Color: 17 Paintings and the Stories They Inspired - edited by Lawrence Block (2017) A wonderful collection that is rooted in the mystery genre, but meanders out thoughtfully and broadly from there. A handful of gems, and very few skips
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (2018)
The New Voices of Science Fiction - edited by Hanna Rajaniemi and Jacob Weisman (2019)
The Science of Herself (short stories and essays) by Karen Joy Fowler (2013)
April 6
I wait in line to pay for three large fries.
A screen comes on asking for tip amount.
I resist. Why?
But why should I ask the why, why should I have to ask the why?
I’m paying $13 for fries being handed to me, and I’m resistant to adding 18% to that. What kind of person am I? Is this weird? Is it bad? What is normal? What should our baseline for such things be?
April 8
I have memories of Saturday morning growing up; many of them amalgamated and blended together. Growing up, Saturday was Sabbath; a day of rest and recuperation from the business of the previous six days. As I am still growing up, I still call it Sabbath or Shabbat, and as long as I am growing up, I likely will. The main difference is that my Shabbat memories from childhood were from the perspective of a child. Now they are that of a parent. I no longer have my dad to flatten down my hair and cinch my pants up my belly as we prepare for church; now I am the dad and sometimes we go to church. That church is sometimes a building and sometimes a forest.
As I watch multiple children’s opinions on their clothes and hair preparation - oh, the hair, this family possesses a great deal of it - I can do little but offer mostly-empty words here and there of advice, comfort, feedback, and occasional admonishment. Switchfoot and Johnny Cash run in the background, master mixing into a score and soundtrack also filled with Veggie Tales and the beautiful clamor of multiple voices rising and climbing atop one another in angelic choruses of praise and harmony. Basically what I’m saying is that it’s super easy and not chaotic at all. I watch our 6-year old carefully twist and turn his hair in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, trying to get his hair just right (“I don’t like the plump in front”) as he grins with delight and self-consciousness, and then both his older and younger brother come up demanding the brush, and their sister groans on looking at the tangly mass of blond her 3-year old brother has frizzed out in a self-driven attempt to make his hair look more beautiful like his mother; the dress she’s wearing is from her mother that came via her aunt and she looks stunning and quite not dissimilar to her mother a quarter century ago and still a bit now.
This is Sabbath morning, and it is loud and since I will love it someday, I’m trying to love it now. But first I need to clean up avocado toast off the floor, reheat my coffee, and perhaps sneak in a chapter of the book I’m reading about Mary Magdalene not wearing eyeshadow. Mazel tov, a joyous Shabbat, live long and prosper.
April 10 Driver’s Ed, first day
I sat, off-screen, as the instructor D—— and his cohort S—— walked through expectations on Zoom. Notable:
He opened with a discussion of traffic accidents. 33,000 fatalities nationwide, 437 in Washington State, primary causes usually impairment, speeding, distracted driving. I did not note what recent year these were from.
He talked about his sons and daughters. Daughters were fine, but his sons needed to “…be babysat through class.” One of them - his sons - would not listen. He knew he would die in a car crash. And that’s what happened. Two and a half years ago.
He emphasized no cell phones. Not just for driving, but for the driver’s ed class. “This is a singular activity,” he warned, “parents, do not be afraid to take away their phones. We will disconnect students who are on the phone or doing something else.” (note: he followed through on this throughout the course).
“This is our biggest problem in class. We’re not dumb. We can tell when you’re on the phone.”
I peeked on-screen and tried to illustrate the dozens of first-day students. I didn’t get far. A smattering:
He wears Nike hat with American flag in background, in shadow, with his dad
She looks blonde cheerleader, with dad in living room
He’s solo, chewing nails, looks a little like one of the friends on Stranger Things
They are male, I think, with mom in living room, in hoodie
The co-instructor is a sharp-tongued, middle-aged short-haired stern-carrying presence
She’s athletic brunette, hair piled up, with twin mom in study
D——- the instructor continued: “Invest in your teens. Most parents do not invest in their teen and in spending enough time practicing driving.”
Finally, he closed: “I actually have a GREAT sense of humor.”
April 12
It’s difficult to extricate yourself from an ‘it’s not fair’ mentality at any age. But parenting offers many juicy opportunities for hypocrisy, and one of them is occasionally leaning into the unrighteousness and unfairness and cosmic wrongness of some days. Like when you have kids getting sick, snow coming down, and combinations of cars, appliances, and house falling apart simultaneously while you’re trying to get taxes done and bills paid and a little work done.
April 25
The sun is out after many moons of rain. Our daughter is driving. A hard drive is having troubles and a mom took her two boys walking and cycling this afternoon while I wrote in a coffee shop and two Olders went with theater mates to see a movie about Super Mario. There was spaghetti later, a memory game that I finally won, and a really good episode of Scrubs. That would be season 1, number 4, in which they learn to deal with death. So much comedy, so much gravitas all swirled up. So good.
April 27
The sun was out and the heat was hot. There were grilled cheese sandwiches eaten on the river and fierce debates over whether found rocks were of the sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic types. A boy sported cape - “so I can fly” - all day long. A 6-year old learned to ride a bike; he explained later that I wasn’t actually the one to teach him, rather “…all Daddy did was let go and I just started riding.” So yeah, basically that. He should be proud. A mom spent all day in formal education alongside her children, then looking at prom dresses with her daughter and friends, accompanied by a 12-year old and his chess pastime. There was lots of reading and lots of memory game. The day was rich and it went on and on and on, and now it is 10.34 and I am tired.
April 30
Cleaning laundry rooms and moving washers. Cleaning furnace and water filters. Filing quarterlies. Fixing chainsaws and hauling brush. A 12-year old works on a Uranus poster for science. We enjoy an episode of the last season of The Middle together. I take our daughter out driving to practice backing up and parking. Sunday. What’s not to love?
May 2023
Assorted films & telly:
Inception.
Scrubs. Loving it with our Olders. There is a sincerity about it and a caring that finds a sweet spot between funny and sweet - and holds up a few decades later.
Listening
A Place in Your Heart - Ray Davies
Metallica - Master of Puppets (album)
Picture books of note
Accident by Andrea Tsurumi (2017)
After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat (2017)
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (1985, Caldecott Honor)
Hey, Al - story by Arthur Yorinks, pictures by Richard Egielski (1986, Caldecott Award)
Arrow to the Sun: a Pueblo Indian tale by Gerald McDermott (1974, Caldecott Award). We read this a few years ago and I wasn’t blown away. But I like to circle back to certain types of film, music, art and books that I don’t resonate with the first time, but feel like there might be something I’m missing. So I finished it this time around with a 3- and 6-year old, and they both announced that they “…really, really loved it.” It’s still not high on my favorites list, but I’m intrigued and interested to learn more about what they're drawn to about this book; a moderately-text heavy book juxtaposed with fairly abstract imagery as a boy embarks on a series of tasks to prove himself to his father, the lord of the sun.
The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran, illustrated by Michelle Pereira (2023)
Clementine and the Lion by Zoey Abott (2022)
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James (2017, Caldecott Honor)
Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt? written by Derick Wilder, illustrated by K-Fai Steele (2022)
How Do I Love Thee? Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal (2018)
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (1995 Caldecott Award)
Penguin Problems by Jory John & Lane Smith (2016)
A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano (2018)
A Normal Pig by K-Fai Steele (2019)
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (2012, Caldecott Award)
Grown-ups Neve Do That - Davide Cali & Benjamin Chaud (2019)
Out of Nowhere by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros (2020)
Shadow by Suzy Lee (2008)
Stop, Go, Yes, No! A Story of Opposites by Mike Twoy (2018)
Pond by Jim LaMarche (2016). I have fallen in love with this book. The illustrations of a group of kids exploring and building and discovering, all in the vicinity of a verdant little pond, is almost unbearably beautiful in its depiction of a slice of childhood that is nostalgia for some, slivers of memory for others, and vibrant dream for many of all ages. Gorgeous.
Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf: A Counting Story by Davide Cali, illustrated by Marianna Balducci (2022)
The Upside Down Hat by Stephen Barr, illustrated by Gracey Zhang (2022)
The Wave by Suzy Lee (2008). For the second time in a day (see: The Pond) I have emphatically stated: I love this book after a first read. In this case, it’s a wordless depiction of a girl’s playful relationship with a wave at the seashore. Stunning and simple charcoal and acrylics that bring the spirit of childhood and play alive.
Other Books
Almost Invisible - Mark Strand (2012, collection of prose, Pulitzer Winner)
May 04
Playlist : Inspiration Morning
Unstoppable - Sia
Best I Can - Queensrÿche
It’s My Life - Bon Jovi
Roar - Katy Perry
On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons
Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand
Adventure - Be Your Own Pet
You’ve Got Another Thing Coming - Judas Priest
Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
May 11
I work mobile for a morning and listen to some Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. A girl gets out of history class early to go with her mum to check on the status of freshly de-braced teeth. She goes attired as a certain N. Dynamite and showcases an impromptu dance in the office. I am not there but I am shown evidence, and my heart thuds with pride. She and her mom go prom dress shopping and make good memories. I take boys to skate park, where there are many people on a hot afternoon, and sadly there are late-teens cursing amidst a variety of younger kids and sadly, I do not have the heart for battle on this day. We head to library, and eventually are forced to get ice cream cones and go to the park because it seems like we should. We get home. Previous to that, a 3-year old explains to his sister’s former teacher that “I’m a big boy now because I go poop in the potty.” She concurs. Later, we FaceTime with people in Singapore. Two boys play chess on a Simpsons board, another plays online, aiming for 1200 ELO. I head down to field to clear brush after my F-I-L graciously offers to mow. Finally, we close out the day. It is a long one. There are hugs.
May 23
Two ideas I’ve been on a high horse about recently within our family dynamics:
When you make your family’s life easier, you generally make your life easier too.
Do what you need to do first.
May 24 : 5 things
Hide and seek outside. Multiple rounds throughout the day into the evening. A 6-year old enthralled with the cat-and-mouse.
Drawing illustrations of Elton John outside in the sunshine is almost as good as writing poems about the forest, in the forest, in the sunshine. Good thing we did both.
The feeling of a 3-year old wrapping his little arms around mine as I read books with him and his brother, and his sister comes over to join as I open Strega Nona. “I remember that one!”
Ice cream bars and Person of Interest, season 3, episode 2, with Becca and Olders. Finishing the last l2 minutes of a thrilling Tehran episode (S2E5) with Becca.
Prayers, hugs, and massive support for those we love as they embark on new terrifying and necessary journeys.
May 26 by the numbers
Thanks for leading the way, Nvidia, this week. Up $85 overnight after blowout earnings, courtesy of AI hype and hope. And today: Microsoft up to $333. I remember back in October watching a $16 plunge to $233 after earnings, digging my heels in, and waiting for something like today: crossed $333.
In other numbers, a boy is over 1300 ELO on his second officially-approved Chess.com profile.
In other numbers, a 3-year old apologized after getting home because “…I accidentally checked out five books at the library and you said I could only check out four. Sorry Daddy.” Author’s note: this sounds authoritarian and draconian, and yes, I’m chuckling and happy and all that; but that being said, choosing a number of books for each library visit is basic survival. At any given point, we have somewhere between 40 and 70 books checked out as a family, so having some sort of cap on per-book checkouts keeps things sort-of manageable.
The play has been announced: Aladdin.
May 30 : 5 things that brought me small joys
I got to spend an hour with my brother Jamey at a coffeeshop, unexpectedly. We drank iced beverages and talked of various things. I intended to inquire about the Celtics-Heat game 7 from last night. I intended to watch a basketball playoff game at some point in the last month, but kept forgetting to do so. He is my lifeline to current sports and helps me know what to think.
I listened to 2015 Kendrick Lamar in the brief period I had to myself driving earlier.
My father, despite being afflicted with an anonymous affliction, is alive. I hope this state of existence continues. Not the affliction. The being alive.
I had a wonderful conversation while driving with our Olders about their upcoming auditions. I am proud of their self-confidence, and I am so proud equally of their grace and willingness to bring their best, but also recognize that should things not go exactly how they want, that they will proceed with aplomb and grace. These are things I care deeply about.
Meta hit 266. My sell point. I believe in Apple as a company. I believe in a handful of others. I do not believe in Meta. Yet I have hung on to them and have waited for this point. Now I began selling.
June 2023
The Distance - Cake
Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
Sherlock - S1E1 with Olders.
A 12-year old reading Ender’s Game. A 15-year old reading a Grisham novel.
June 27 : little things on a Tuesday
Two boys on a foggy yet sunny beach; a combination of elements that perhaps describe some of us sometimes: a couple normal things packaged together in unusual or interesting ways. They dance, play, cavort, splash, snack, sometimes acknowledge my presence but mostly revel in each other, and finally end up in underwear and 3.2 trillion grains of sand crawling on every surface of their body right before they climb back in the automobile.
Two siblings with their aunt teaching a summer theater class to a group of kids. What an experience, what a time, what an education for all involved. They smile and giggle and shake their heads at shenanigans and try to breathlessly tell the tales of what happened, but of course if you’re not in it then you can’t totally get it, and I smile and love it.
A portrait of our four children, and then my little sister jumps in and adds another continuum of interest.
A boy on the precipice of a new phase of life. I have loved this boy-man so much, and he will always be my boy, our boy. There is none other like him and I love it.
July 2023
Listening. Lots of classical. Lots of jazz. Some 2000 Linkin Park. Olivia Rodrigo’s Vampire. Long discussions of the relative merits and distinctions of her, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish. ABBA, always.
The Bear. Just starting season 2. What an ensemble, what a gritty fairy tale of people always fighting, always stressed, yet almost always somehow working things out at some point, to some degree, and getting each others’ backs - sometimes - when they’re done fighting. So good.
Mamma Mia! Outside on a summer evening. This was meant to be seen outside. Next time though: speakers to bring down the mountain and get everybody off their feet.
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (1974). How did I miss this? It’s up there with Catcher in the Rye and The Outsiders in tracking the feelings and feel of teens on the precipice of so much; their relationships and dynamics, but just as much, it reminded me of Animal Farm in its depictions of power, mob mentality, and the slippery slope of good intentions gone off the rails. To stand up for something, even when you don’t know for what purpose? We want to believe everything’s gonna work out. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn’t.
Resurrection (2022 film). Talk about on off-the-rails finish. Wow.
First episode of Sherlock with the Olders. First episode of Elementary with our oldest son. Different flavors of Holmes. It’s easy to get into ‘who’s the best’ arguments, but Doyle’s creation is like a great song: I’m game for different interpretations and flavors.
White Noise. Noah Baumbach’s interpretation of Don DeLillo’s ‘80s novel. Somehow, he films it and makes it work. Well, sort of: rarely have I seen a film with an assortment of wonderful scenes that doesn’t add up to the whole. I’m still not sure entirely what it was saying, but I don’t think understanding absurdist narrative is entirely the point. Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig are a blended family with precocious kids and ongoing fear of death. There’s natural disaster and the CIA and secret drugs and domestic drama all interwoven with existential dread that’s…funny and sometimes illuminating.
Picture books of note
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Hanks (1991)
Once Upon a Rainy Day by Édouard Manceau (2015)
Snowflake Bentley - Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian (1998, Caldecott Medal)
July 2 : Sundays, oh Sundays
We sit and sip coffee at 8am, adjacent at our bistro table, me reading Terms of Service and Becca working her way through James Nestor’s Breath. The children watch Looney Tunes; a sometime-Sunday joyful ritual, until our two boys decide they can’t go another minute without coming outside to hug their mom. They do so in all their underwear, shirtless glory. Soon we make breakfast together, a messy, messy ordeal, and retire to the living room to watch Season 9, Episode 21 of The Middle. “The Royal Flush” is the episode. We are coming to the end of this series that has brought our family great Sunday morning pleasure for several years now. Could not every Sunday continue in this manner?
No, it can’t. Or it won’t. Some transition to LEGO-building and wrestling and snuggling with their mom again and chess. A 13-year old takes his dragon outside for some sunshine, a pair of lads build various climbing apparatuses to get the highest apples from our trees; apples that are not ready for consumption but will be consumed anyway.
Sundays are tough, but sometimes the act of writing these things down helps to curate, to crop, to remember the best moments of a day. That is a big motivating factor: we remember the best and remember the worst when we should; we crop out the middle yet try to also grab little pieces of it to savor for the future. That’s what I’m doing.
A 3-year old falls asleep while his mum reads aloud. His big sis crawls in bed with him and carefully, aggressively, wraps his little arm around her neck while she snuggles in also. A 6-year old sits at an empty dining room table and assembles a LEGO creation from either his memory or imagination.
Two boys beg and beg - and this is something I give in on - to “build something.” Their ideas are massive and ambitious, their ability to execute these ideas…less so. Nonetheless, I stick hammers in their hands and surround them with a pile of nails and wood and they go to town, thundering away, reverberations around the mountain. There's a break for ice cream sandwiches, a birthday ritual done days-late involving running through a gift-wrap covered door, and later, the watching of a Tom Hanks remake about a crotchety old fellow. There were good things on this Sunday. I will remember some of them. Were there bad things? I don’t know. I don’t remember.
July 08 : summer of relax
I spent May trying to enjoy the present, but also looked anxiously at the calendar. Once summer rolled around, I counted up the time I would have, the ability I would have to finish (or start) home projects, work projects, weekend outings and camping and new trails and treks and swimming in different bodies of water multiple times a week and starting the Amor Towles’ novel I haven’t yet read, and…
…and then it happens, it’s here, and somehow it’s an avalanche of small necessities and happenings that soak up everything. The time is gone. It disappears, and in its place are plenty of good moments and little memories, but it’s still hard, really hard to do the work, the foundational work, the stuff that has to be done and the stuff that has to be paid for and the stuff that just…you know, like when a water heater goes down, it’s theoretically a choice, but realistically, pragmatically not a choice to choose whether or not to replace it. You replace it. But there’s a cost. A financial cost in this case, and the cost means it affects other plans and other things. And when you have children, even when you try and raise them with some sense of fiscal understanding, it’s still hard because you gotta make up the shortfall somehow, some way, and you pay the piper and shove it down the road to deal with later. But that’s a cost, a price. It’s not gonna go away, kinda like student loans.
You keep on making memories amidst jumbled up plans getting dumped sideways and you…keep going. Sometimes with a bouncy step or skip, sometimes with a trudge and keeping your eyes on the ground because you’re just tired, so tired, and if you look at the ground maybe you’ll see some flowers or a cool bug, and you’ll tunnel vision yourself into having the fortitude and resilience to keep moving, because you gotta keep moving, but you can’t look at bugs and stars at the same time. There’s beauty in looking up and beauty in looking down; beauty in looking ahead and beauty in looking behind. But sometimes the hardest is finding beauty in the present. It’s something I fight for, and try to fight for. It’s not always easy and I don’t always win that battle. I’m gonna go make coffee.
July 18
Dunkirk. First time with the Olders. Held up strong. Cillian Murphy’s 2014 haunted rendition of a shellshocked survivor, amidst a great ensemble, is an odd but interesting prologue to this summer’s Oppenheimer.
July 23 : at some point
There is a reckoning. When it comes to house stuff, and especially as it relates to structural matters and issues of water coming in places it shouldn’t, there is a reckoning, a point at which, like as with the leadership failings of a certain recent President who tried to keep himself in power two years ago, you must look in the mirror and say: can I ignore the obvious? This must be dealt with. As such it goes with owning our relationship with fascist-drooling democracy-loathing leaders, and as such it goes with owning our relationship with a house that has problems that can no longer be shelved, tabled, excused, or ignored. At some point, the wood’s rotten and there ain’t no place to go but deal with it.
August 2023
Viewing together:
The Princess Bride.
Viewing with our Olders:
My Cousin Vinnie.
The Upside.
Silo. Loving, love, love. Please please Apple, spring for season 2. I enjoyed this future detective tale so much.
Richard Matheson Best. 33 short stories, so many gems, what an influence on so many, from Stephen King and Neil Gaiman to Spielberg and any number of sci-fi / horror tales.
August 25 : a Friday
A goat wonders, wanders in the forest and fields with two intrepid humans. The humans gather berries, then later, count money and terrorize their older sister, who is trying to relax and read on the couch. I force them to read as well. A 13yo sweeps the kitchen and dining room; a task he is becoming skilled at.
There is LEGO-building in the living room, online chess on the toilet, and the crafting of various objects and apparatus composed of objets gathered round the house; their choices are plentiful. I make grilled cheese sandwiches that are wondrous, in my self-assessment; an assessment not supported in totality by all present for the noon-time meal. There is memory game. These matches are ferocious in their intensity. There is no quarter given for age handicaps.
Later, we attend a beginning of year Theater party at our friends’ residence. There is plentiful food, much trampolining, some conversation, and two boys watching teens frolic in the pool. The night moves forward quickly, and it is after 10pm before we begin our almost-hour long journey home. A full and festive Friday.
September 2023
Listening
Wait - M83
Moonlight Sonata
a lot of Taylor Swift
Picture books of note
*Alexander, Who's Trying His Best to Be the Best Boy Ever by Judith Violist, illustrated by Isidre Mones (2014)
Daddy & Me, Side by Side - Pierce Freelon, illustrated by Nadia Fisher (2023)
Grandfather and the Moon - Stephanie LaPointe and Roge (2015/2017 translation to English)
#The House in the Night - Susan Marie Swanson, pictures by Beth Krommes (2008)
I Want a Dog by Jon Agee (2019)
*If You Ever Meet a Whale: Poems selected by Myra Cohn Livingston, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (1992) poetry, ocean, animals
#Lucky - David Mackintosh (2014)
*One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Fairytale - Demi (1997) math, folk tale
*Room on our Rock - Kate & Joe Temple, Terri Rose Baynton (2019) perspective, immigration, clever
The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock by Bill Peet (1973)
Sweater Weather - Matt Phelan (2023)
*Tight Times - Barbara Shook Hazen, pictures by Trina Schart Hyman (1979)
Together with You - Patricia Toot, illustrated by Jarvis (2022) grandparents, seasons
Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom - Shane W. Evans (2011)
What do you say to a Dragon? A story about facing Fear and Anxiety - Lexi Young Peck, illustrations by Wendy Leach (
I read a book that one of the boys picked out at the library called “Brobots.” This one is called “Robots and the Mechanics Malarkey!” There are many puns and conflicts built around an armada of robots that are sort of a team, and thus…brobots. It’s a graphic novel for younger elementary set, I think, and it was very interesting to me, in the sense that I did not find it interesting, really, at all. I am fascinated how some things get published or made. No disrespect to the team that created this, good for them. I suppose there’s a certain respect to be given the illustrations, though it’s also not in the category of visual aesthetic I admire. There’s also a respect to be given for finishing something, so I can give that. Apparently this is number two in the series. In terms of interest, or education, or learning, or catching my attention in any sense, I cannot recommend it at any level. Somebody might be ready to burst in and remind me that I’m not the target audience. True. I have, however, read and absorbed many, many, many books along a diverse spectrum and age range, and try to keep myself open. I struggled to appreciate this however, and was blown away by the combination of blandness that seems to either be a catalyst for its success, or to have some other quality that has allowed it to succeed and end up on shelves in spite of its blandness. I am a fan of kids reading, and our boys enjoyed it. So that is that.
September 11 : Matters of note
A 4-year old hugs his mom with all his might before she leaves for work. His full-body hugs, tight and firm, are something I experience on a less-frequent basis than her, but I both cherish them when I am the recipient and when I see the deepest love contained in his embrace of her. It is beautiful.
Four children eat cereal together, bantering and overlapping dialog that Robert Altman would have been entranced by. Two brothers do yoga after.
We watch, together, a pair of videos on September 11; a day that has become less and less familiar for many kids. We talk about it; I was in this very room, watching live when the second tower was hit 21 years ago.
As a boy saunters and leaps throughout the day, stripes and suspenders flashing, occasional glimpses of his undergarment pop out from underneath: his precious camouflage shorts; a part of his wardrobe recently that he tries to incorporate into every day, sometimes ostentatiously, sometimes surreptitiously.
There is school. Maths, About Me posters, drawing, three brothers wrestling. I have some Thai lemongrass tea. Boys head outside to sort rocks and shells. An 8th grader helps his 1st grade bro practice reading BOB books. A 4-year old helps me assemble pita, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese for lunch.
October 2023
Viewing
Foundation, season 1 (solo)
Reading
Weather: A Novel by Jenny Offill (2020)
The Bibliophile’s Devotional. I never grow weary of these little types of books. Do they make me hunger for what I have not yet read, watched, or listened to? Or wonder what I need to circle back to again? Yes, but they’re also comforting; both a reminder of what I have been gifted to experience, and a reminder of all the possibilities and created works out there yet to appreciate.
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami (very strange and unsettling; an interesting cousin to the also-unsettling The Witches, also from 1983)
Picture books of note
Leopold’s Leotard - Rhiannon Wallace, illustrated by Risa Hugo (2021)
Neck & Neck by Elise Parsley (2018)
-Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt (2006)
-The Old Man 0 Sara V. & Claude K. Dubois (2018)
-The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Width Violist, illustrated by Erik Blegvad (1971)
-Wednesday by Anne Bertier (2014)
Wild by Sam Usher (2020)
October 07 A day that will ____
Spy Game. I’ve been waiting a long time to watch this gem of a little thriller with our older kids. One of Tony Scott’s best; it zips and zags and keeps you guessing as it hops back and forth between the present, where accused spy Brad Pitt is due to be executed in China in a manner of hours and between a Langley boardroom where his mentor, Robert Redford, is reluctantly pulled in on his last day on the job. It’s a testament to quality how the boardroom scenes are every bit as suspenseful - and more - than the prison scenes and action-filled flashbacks.
Later:
Hamas attacks Israel. 1,200 killed, 240 taken hostages into Gaza. War begins.
October 09
Finished the last episode of The Bear, season 2 with Becca. The Christmas and Forks episodes are two of my favorites of either season. Fantastic ensemble.
October 10
Alt-J’s Relaxer, Deafheaven “Brought to the Water”
BlackKKKlansman with the Olders.
Rain, so much rain. Alt-J at the end of a long day, a Spike Lee movie about a certain terrorist organization’s infiltration, boys with their mom, long theater rehearsal, lot of coffee and class and four-year olds journaling and tooting before bedtime. Also, family catch and memorizing Psalm 23.
October 12
House update: got some trim around the window, 75% percent done before air compressor went out. Older kids took a solo trek up north, which included friends, pizza, and Subway, and they made it back safely. Becca got a bunch of. groceries, picked up Home Depot stuff, took boys to story time, and left me with a couple hours to work here solo. That was honestly…really nice.
October 15
Lanessa suggested Becca and I give Bad Sisters a trial run. We started the first episode early-early on a Sunday morning a few weeks ago and…hooked. Five sisters, one bad brother-in-law, whole bunch of stuff happening. Loving the dialog, relationships, and delicious vapidity of the antagonist and knowing what fate befalls him…but how, and what will happen in the aftermath?
October 26 Stuff I need to deal with or pick up or figure out today
Bath lights compressor for heat pump and furnace bit for spider screws galvanized sheeting for shed bark chips fuse for heat pump concrete pillars and…space heater from Costco since our house heat is out? Oi vey.
October 30 x5
Wigs and hide and seek in a pristine house with few places to hide.
An injured hand, a sad sobbing boy in a pink Mickey Mouse tee.
A time to pursue Justice, capital J: we, along with other parents, meet with law enforcement regarding the events of a recent night in which three girls were terrorized.
There is more hide and seek and recorder-practicing in the living room; the former activity one which my SIL Meilani would surely approve.
We play with a goat and perform daring feats of danger on wobbly tree limbs in the forest as the sun sets.
We dinner together; there is peas and tofu, and the conversation is loud and involves moving bodies, but spirits are jolly overall. Now, it’s bedtime for the elves…
…except for somehow they pull out dominos and began setting up a Rube Goldberg chain reaction deal. And somehow Becca ends up dressing our 13yo in a tuxedo for a test run…
It’s a day. Another day. Another decent day.
November 2023
Viewing
Brooklyn 99 with Olders, season 1. Some days it feels so good to share laughter at the end of a day.
Foundation, season 1. Apple TV’s interpretation of Asimov’s massive narrative takes a little while to come together, but by the last couple episodes…the patience begins to pay off. Also watched solo: David Fincher’s The Killer. Familiar concept done very well.
Reading
The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, translated by Sora Kim-Russell (2016). Incapacitated man is cared for by his mother-in-law after his wife dies in a car accident. He remembers, reflects, and tries to determine if his MIL is trying to help or harm…
The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis (1975, Newbery Honor)
Picture books of note
How to Catch a Clover Thief by Elise Parsley (2021)
If You Ever Want to Bring a Circus to the Library, Don't! by Elise Parsley (2017)
If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't! by Elise Parsley (2016)
If You Ever Want to Bring a Pirate to Meet Santa, Don't! by Elise Parsley (2018)
Maggie’s Treasure by Jon-Erik Lapping, illustrated by Kellen Hatanaka (2020)
Roger is Reading a Book by Koen Van Biesen (2015)
This is Hong Kong by M. Sasek (1964)
This is Ireland by M. Sasek (1965)
Waiting for Chicken Smith by David Mackintosh (2018)
November 1, 2023
This is what I asked them to respond to in their journals:
One thing I learned today
One thing they love about their Aunt Lanessa
Advice for a 3- or 5-year old
One thing I enjoyed in particular
The Olders help out with the Youngers; thus the age 3 and 5 question (they are senior each of these years by a year, so they are passing along the wisdom of their relative years). We read these journal entries aloud afterwards as a family. There is much cackling and laughing. The 13- and 16-year old?…
…oh, I am as curious as any parent to know what’s contained within their journals. But, as I told our oldest recently: it doesn’t matter whether you leave your journal out, and you’re not around, and you wouldn’t know, etc etc. This contains your thoughts and impressions; what is in it is yours and we respect that. So perhaps some day, there will be opportunity, on their terms, to share their impressions of these ages as contained within their journals. But until then? They are theirs.
Except for the 4- and 6-year old. Theirs are ours to share for a little bit longer. :)
November 2
Do we get a functioning heating system up and going again? Or do we get through the winter with green wood, a splitting maul, and a leaky-roofed shed? C’mon Marcus, help us figure this one out…capacitor?
November 04
It’s time. Time for an Autumn Sound of Music Saturday night watching. All of us.
And The Burial with the elders.
November 06
Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 1969
December 2023
Reading Lessons in Chemistry. A 13yo boy caught up in reading the Hunger Games trilogy. A 6yo slowly falling into a love of reading, via carefully sounded-out words and lines - current fave: Hop on Pop.
Viewing
Watching, solo: Inside, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,
Christmas: Your Place or Mine?
Violent Night - did not like. Tries to be a full-on Christmas Die Hard, minus the wit, charm, tone, and approach to violence that’s intense without being completely disgusting.
My 22 Favorite Movies of 2023
Air
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
John Wick: Chapter 4
The Killer
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Master Gardener
Missing
Nyad
Past Lives
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Theater Camp
Wonka
You Hurt My Feelings (how about a 1-2 punch of this and 2024’s His Daughters?! A talkie relational drama with many delightful, uncomfortable, and sometimes insightful interactions)
Honorable mention
AKA (French crime drama)
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
Champions
Dumb Money
Fair Play
Knock at the Cabin
Leave the World Behind
May December
No One Will Save You
Reality
Third Tier : Done well, no regrets, probably will not watch again
65 - Adam Driver elevates most films he’s in, including one set 65 million years in the past. Like a few other films this year (The Killer, Inside), it’s a simple concept executed well.
Inside - companion to Willem Dafoe’s The Lighthouse. Art thief trapped in a high rise. An exercise in patience.
Miscellaneous
Coming soon.
Documentary
Coming soon
All ages-ish
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
The Little Mermaid
Wonka
Holiday
Your Christmas or Mine 2
Violent Night. I did not greatly enjoy this very graphic unfunny Die Hard wannabe.
Guilty pleasures
Plane.
Pilot’s plane goes down in jungle. Pilot (Gerard Butler) has to protect his passengers against an onslaught of drug cartel baddies. Straight homage to any number of ‘80s action flicks. Executed well.
Sharper.
Nifty little Manhattan con thriller with solid cast and a little treat at the end. Not as clever as I’d hoped. Reminiscent of any number of 1990s thrillers. Think: Malice.
Not great, but worth a once-through
coming soon
Want to see
A Thousand and One
Asteroid City
Beau Is Afraid
BlackBerry
The Covenant
Flora and Son
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Linoleum
Napoleon
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
Oppenheimer
Paint
The Pigeon Tunnel
Polite Society
R.M.N.
Rye Lane
Skinamarink
The Starling Girl
The Taste of Things
Underwhelming / disappointing / plain bad
A Haunting in Venice.
File under: disappointing. I wanted to like this much more. Still enjoyed, but certainly my least favorite of the three Branagh adaptions of Agatha Christie’s great detective.
Knock at the Cabin.
Okay. I know this is strange, but I have this on this list and on Honorable Mention. Why? I’m still trying to articulate why. Some of the strongest performances in a Shyamalan film. All his trademark craft on display - and I’m a fan, I say that at as a compliment. I read the book before - yeah yeah, one of those people - and he did a great job of adapting. In fact, I prefer his ending to the novel’s. There’s all sorts of spiritual, relational, parental, familial levels to process. What if you had to choose between saving the world and between saving somebody you love - in fact, what if you had to choose to sacrifice one of the people you love most in the world…in order to save the world. It’s bleak and dark and dripping at the edges with Flannery O’Connor. I don’t know what else I’d want. It’s hard to watch. And hard not to watch. And hard to think about. What should Shyamalan have done different? Maybe nothing. Maybe it doesn’t belong on this list. I don’t know where it belongs. I’ll probably move it to a list of one at some point.
The Little Mermaid
Saltburn. I can appreciate a great deal of this movie. Gorgeous to look at, snappy dialogue occasionally, a location to soak up. But: at a certain point I need to believe in humanity. This is personal opinion, not a judgment on certain scenes or on what Emerald Fennell was trying to see about class, obsession, privilege, etc. It’s about the unrelenting bleakness of human nature presented; a toxic, slow burning, falling out of trust and faith in those around. I am glad I watched. And I am glad it ended. Rosamund Pike was magnificent.
The Super Mario Brothers Movie
Underwhelmed. Everything I expected.
Violent Night
It seems obvious that a movie with the world “violent” in the title would be violent. It also seems obvious that a movie with the noxious, on-the-nose naming convention of a thousand 90s action thrillers would be somewhere in the terrible-to-mediocre range. But these things were not as obvious to me as perhaps they should have been before watching. I like David Harbor. Perhaps it is the mix of tone and (very, very graphic violence) that put me off. Did not really enjoy - and I expected to get some satisfaction out of Santa with a sledgehammer. One note trick riffing off Die Hard and Home Alone that kept going and going.
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Back to Film Index by Year
ESSENTIAL MUSIC OF 2023
My favourite 11 albums
Sparks - The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
Honorable Mention
Boygenius - The Record
The Hold Steady - The Price of Progress
Muse - Will Of The People
Disappointments & underperformers
coming soon
Haven’t listened / haven’t spent enough time with yet
MGMT
Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
Sharon Van Etten
My 44 Favorite Tracks
All We Ever Do Is Talk - Del Water Gap
Bending Hectic - The Smile
Borrow Trouble - Feist
Bug Like An Angel - Mitski
Chosen to Deserve - Wednesday
Compliance - Muse
County Road - Margo Price
Dancer - Idles & LCD Soundsystem
Emily I’m Sorry - Boygenius (E)
Euphoria - Muse
Ghosts (How Can I Move On) - Muse
The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte - Sparks
Goodbye Evergreen - Sufjan Stevens
Happy - NF
Here - Soccer Mommy
Hope - NF
Houdini - Dua Lipa
Hunter - Jess Williamson
I Remember Everything - Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves
I Saw - Young Fathers
Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift
Liberation - Muse
Love is Embarrassing - Olivia Rodrigo
My Love Mine All Mine - Mitski
The Narcissist - Blur
Nearly Daffodils - English Teacher
None of Us Have But a Little While - Lonnie Holley f. Sharon Van Etten
Not Strong Enough - boygenius
Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is - Sparks
Nothing Matters - The Last Dinner Party (E)
Padam Padam - Kylie
Stage of Love - Mary Jane Dunphe
Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo (E)
Verona - Muse
Will Anybody Ever Love Me? - Sufjan Stevens
The World’s Biggest Paving Slab - English Teacher (E)
January
Gee, That Was Fun - Sparks
Here - Soccer Mommy
Borrow Trouble - Feist
Liberation - Muse
February
Nothing Left to Lose - Everything But the Girl
You Were Meant For Me - Sparks
All We Ever Do Is Talk - Del Water Gap
My Love Mine All Mine - Mitski
Hunter - Jess Williamson
Will Anybody Ever Love Me? - Sufjan Stevens
Tough Love - Flyte
Without You Without Them - boygenius
What Was I Made For? - Billie Eilish
March
White Horse - Chris Stapleton
I Remember Everything - Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves
Sleep on My Side - Megan Moroney
County Road - Margo Price
Knockin’ - MJ Lenderman
Vampire Empire - Big Thief
Chosen to Deserve - Wednesday
April
Goodbye Evergreen - Sufjan Stevens
None of Us Have But a Little While - Lonnie Holley f. Sharon Van Etten
Bug Like An Angel - Mitski
I Believe - Caroline Polachek
Verona - Muse
Emily I’m Sorry - Boygenius (E)
The Mona Lisa's Packing, Leaving Late Tonight - Sparks
May
I’m Just Ken - Ryan Gosling
Flowers - Miley Cyrus
Home to Another One - Madison Beer
Miracle - Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris
Sability - Ayra Starr
Borderline - Tove Lo
Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift
June
Pa Que Baile - Kiko el Crazy (E)
Chanel - Becky G and Peso Pluma
Sober - SIPHO
Hemlocke Springs - Enknee1
Set the Roof - Hudson Mohawke / Nikki Nair f. Tayla Parx
A Love Story - Sparks
Padam Padam - Kylie
Houdini - Dua Lipa
Smog - Indigo De Souza
On a Beach - Hayden f. Feist
What Was I Made For? - Billie Eilish
Younger & Dumber - Indigo De Souza
July
Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is - Sparks
August
Dancer - Idles & LCD Soundsystem
The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte - Sparks
I Saw - Young Fathers
Not Strong Enough - boygenius
Nearly Daffodils - English Teacher
Take Me For a Ride - Sparks
September
It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way - Sparks
Happy - NF
The Narcissist - Blur
Euphoria - Muse
Nothing Matters - The Last Dinner Party (E)
King of the Slugs - Fat Dog
The World’s Biggest Paving Slab - English Teacher
October
Stage of Love - Mary Jane Dunphe
Go Dig My Grave - Lankum
Ghosts Again - Depeche Mode
I Want It All - The Drums
Late Night Love - Octa Octa
Ghosts (How Can I Move On) - Muse
Installation - Pangaea
The Slab - Slowdive
Gave Up The Dream - Apollo Ghosts
You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween - Muse
November
Kisses - Slowdive
Bending Hectic - The Smile
Name of God - Mustafa
Not That Well-Defined - Sparks
December
Hope - NF (thank you, Jonny, for introducing this track on Dec 8. Love)
Snowman - Blonde Redhead
Spiritual
Name of God - Mustafa
Covers
Here - Soccer Mommy
2023 Happenings
General
The rise of artificial intelligence begins to hit the mainstream.
People of interest to people: the British Royals, still. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez.