IMAX
We went to see 'Avatar' at an IMAX theatre recently. It was restored in 4K in 3D, and was absolutely amazing to look at. If you've been to an IMAX theatre, you know the spectacle of it. We did see it in IMAX when it was originally released, but it seemed to almost live more this time. I think people's perspectives change as the years go by and their tastes evolve, and perhaps if a film is good enough, things will stand out more as the story has aged, and people have experienced more. I felt the same when we saw 'Jaws' in IMAX, too. I have a heightened appreciation for character development in shows now, compared to maybe when I seemed to just veer toward action-centric films for their special effects or whatever. Watching 'Avatar' again like this, I felt more emotionally vested in the story. Climate change is a much more relevant issue than it was 13 years ago, and I think future 'Avatar' movies are going to make people take it a bit more seriously. I think that's what director James Cameron is banking on, being a scientist/environmentalist himself.
Word Up
Something I also took in very recently was 'Blade Runner', specifically Ridley Scott's ultimate cut, or whatever he calls it; the one that came in the boxed set that he released some years ago. I forgot how cool that package is. It's got all the versions of the movie, a disc full of extras, storyboard cards, a little hover-police-car replica, lots of reading material, and it all comes in a little briefcase like you see in the film. This time, we watched the movie with subtitles on, which is making us re-discover movies. It's amazing the things that you realize you've missed once you've tried doing it. The collection that I have is in DVD format and not blu-ray, although the ultimate version you'd swear is blu ray, as it's very high def. If you've never seen the show with subtitles on, I recommend you give it a try. For any of your old favorite movies, for that matter.
Strange Theory
Watching 'The Handmaid's Tale' this season, I'm really impressed how they've re-invented the show, finally getting it out of the June-escapes-Gilead-but-returns-to-help/save-'X' formula - at least somewhat. Elizabeth Moss' 'June' character is morphing into a heavy PTSD victim with a vengeance against those who've wronged her, and she's more dangerous and edgy with each episode, it seems. What I'm noticing about this season is the parallel of Gilead to Trumpism, and how it's seeping into Canada, like everything that happens in the U.S. seems to happen here eventually. The frightening thing is how prophetic this show has become. It's actually a warning of where we're headed if we don't change course, and that warning is pretty frightening. The scariest idea of all is that the U.S. could become a theocracy, with Canada following behind. And we're not out of the woods with that idea possibly becoming true.
Jungle Gyms
We've been going to the gym for a number of years now, and I want to stress that I'm not bragging about it. This is just matter-of-fact stuff - and maybe if you are considering joining one, maybe even a bit of a heads-up. We first started going to the YMCA here in Moncton many years ago, and that became an off and on membership, but mostly on. We did leave a few times for numerous reasons, none of which are really all that important, even if I did have valid misgivings about it back in the day. But the fact is, it's right down the street from where we live, making it perfect for the wife to go regularly, as she wants to stay active as a means of fighting off her chronic arthritis ailments and fibromyalgia. So, that's the main reason we've been going there... though we've very recently left once again for similar reasons as before. For many years, we were subsidized because of our low income, but we don't have such financial issues anymore and we paid regular price, which is a little over $100/month for the two of us. For that price, you get to work out, play basketball or whatever in the gym, access to the pool, but all of this doesn't mean much to us except for the 'wellness center', which is what the workout portion is. The Y's drawbacks these days are mainly equipment-wise. A lot of it's breaking down, and they're in no rush to have it repaired, whatever the reason for that may be. Plus there's a LOT of kids lately. The gym seems to be getting more cramped with less actual working equipment and more people. This is all making us question why we bothered paying so much for so little. We did enlist at Planet Fitness, however. It's $25/month for a membership, with which you can bring a partner free - so the wife has the membership in her name, and we just both go all the time. The place is huge, with lots of cardio equipment; and dare I say perhaps too much. The free-weights area is quite small, and is usually quite busy. The machines they have are pretty spiffy and up-to-date, though, and I've yet to see a piece of broken down equipment that the Y suffers so much from. Familiarity is the difference here, I think. We did love the Y because of its location, but compared to Planet Fitness, PF has the superior equipment, space and general access; not to mention it's open 24 hours, where the Y's hours are much more limited. Fit 4 Less is much like PF, almost a carbon copy, actually. But F4L gets broken down equipment a fair bit, at least when we went. And if you're not careful, you'll be dealing with the shoe nazis at the door. F4L has pretty much the same pricing policies as PF, making both gyms a cheap and effective alternative to pricey places like the Y or Goodlife. In short, with our experience, the gym with the most jungle-type atmosphere is the Y, and I can't endorse them at this point, but the other two get a passing grade. Anyway, if you do like working out, I suggest you try THIS WORKOUT for back and shoulder day by the mighty Chad Hollmer. It's become my go-to. Same with the wife. I find it fascinating, noticing at any gym with us in our mid 50s, we're usually the oldest people there. The amusing thing I notice is that my 55 year old wife can hang with anyone, male or female, that train at the gym at any given time. She outworks me on the treadmill. She's kind of plateaued at losing weight, but I swear her size is shrinking. And she's stronger than Wibby's home brew. You don't want to piss her off, let me put it that way.
Misfortune Tellers
To the post-Boomer generations, World War II seems like it's so long ago. But I can remember the 80s like they were just last week, and we're talking forty-ish years ago. Back in the 80s, though, forty years ago brings you to war times. That freaks me out a bit. Korea and Vietnam would happen, too, even closer to the present that was the 80s. It all makes me realize just how short life is. I'll be my Dad's age this December, when he died. When I think of the forty year difference, that puts Dad at teen-age. So really, Dad lived through WWI and II both. I find myself wanting to know how family members recall history, as a lot of times, real recollections from real people contrast images and information that you discover in media and general history. I have to think that our daughter, who's 26, must read or hear about things like Chernobyl, the Persian Gulf War, Reaganomics, the Nirvana era, 9/11 and other things and think they're as ancient as we thought the 40s were. It freaks me out a bit, and forces me to come to terms with my age; how healthy I am, where am I headed financially, especially now that I'm on permanent disability, seeing the world evolve technologically while I look upon a lot of stuff the way my Mom used to get confused operating a VCR, but perhaps the most numbing thing I'm facing is seeing people I know going away, without warning most times. They're dying in their 40s and early 50s - some of them actually cheating death, thank God. But too many don't. And it makes me confront the reality that anyone can go at any time, yours truly included. Growing old truly is a privilege that I'm witnessing not all of us get to enjoy. Sadly. So very sadly. Taking all of this in, it's made me take stock of what matters in life, and asking myself why on earth do I take too many things so seriously, because very little matters when you're confronting your mortality. It forces you to ask the question of yourself... if I were to die tomorrow, how would I be remembered? Not just generally, either. How would you be remembered by the friend you had for years, but you stopped talking because he didn't pay you back that $20? Staring down at mortality, $20 doesn't mean shit, does it? Neither do so many other things that are worth far more. Anyway, I've learned to argue less, and discuss more. There's a big, big difference.
IMacs
But what a time the eighties were, right? If you're old enough to have experienced that era, that is. I've often remarked that it was the best of times, beyond any personal difficulties I experienced myself. The music was great and fun, and abundant - there was something for everyone. There was rockabilly, hair metal, regular rock and roll, dance and techno, country, pop, even classical had its day in the sun. People went out and danced downtown. Bands were everywhere. Malls popped up all over the place because people loved to mingle among one another. We all hung out! It was the social golden age. But politics was beginning to take a sharp turn. Canada had Mulroney, who was well intentioned, but couldn't get the deficit under control. Reaganomics took hold in the States and spread to Canada, too. Unions disappeared as a result. By the end of the 80s, a recession was being dealt with. The nuclear arms race ramped up between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The threat of nuclear annihilation was always there. Then Chernobyl happened, and communism began to dissipate, followed by the split of the Soviet Union. There were reputable news shows and newspapers to report on it, though. There was AIDS. The ozone layer was depleting, which we learned to fix by eliminating chlorofluorocarbons. But you know what? We dealt with all of it, relatively quite calmly. We didn't all fight each other and judge each other over opinions. Now it's today... for music, we have hip hop and country and leftover rock bands from the 80's. Shopping malls gave way to staying home and shopping online. Nobody dances at all anymore. Hanging out got replaced by fighting online and in chat rooms. We're basically being told to fear pretty well everything. The common denominator of all this versus the 80s? The internet. We got on fine without it before it ever showed up. Not long after it popped up in the later 90s though, so did hatred, misogyny, greed, self righteousness... all of which existed before, but suddenly had the added ingredients of anonymity and lack of accountability. Some people will point to the Clinton era for blame - because of a cigar and blowjob. When really, the Clinton administration brought the deficit to heel for the first time since I've been alive, at least. So did the Chretien government in Canada. Enter the internet and Microsoft, and here we are. I know there's irony in me writing this and you reading it right now on the web, but indeed, that's kind of my point. It's EVERYWHERE. If you've ever seen the HBO show "Westworld" lately, you can see where we just might be headed, and it's scary as hell. And I put this to you -- that these just may be, and I would propose hopefully -- the wild west days of the internet. The web needs a reboot, that employs privacy and accountability in tandem, though it would take bright and noble minds to make that happen. It needs to be governed against lies and slander, particularly in political matters. But if I didn't know any better today, I would have to ponder whether or not there's some kind of AI that's working to make people hate and wipe each other out. If that sounds far fetched, take a look at the current richest man in the world, Elon Musk. He will soon take over Twitter and grant what he deems as "free speech" to the likes of Donald Trump, a master at inciting division and hatred. Musk was once the darling of those who dreamed of a prosperous future, fighting climate change with electric ideas, championing the downtrodden, even musing on universal basic income. As the years go by and the richer he becomes, the more dangerous he gets. Musk is a proponent of AI tech to replace human workers. Will AI eventually figure out that humanity is actually the source of all the planet's woes and devise algorithms to divide and destroy ourselves? An AI mechanised society would survive fine without humanity. The future doesn't need us. And it may be more prosperous without us. It wouldn't take a hell of a lot of logic for AI to figure that out.
Anyway, those are my stories and I'm stickin' to 'em.
Thanks so much for giving me a moment to share my words with you.
