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Camouflage of Simmer
Jul. 22nd, 2023 10:01 pmYesterday I zipped off to the farmers market while everyone was still getting up. It was not very crowded, and it's so exhilarating just to walk through it and see and smell all the lovely things. I came in search of peaches, which are just coming into season. But while I was there, I saw one stand with beautiful late strawberries, and bought some. I also could not resist some big, gem-like raspberries. And a gluten-free chocolate muffin for the Redhead. But I did resist so many things . . . sweet corn, green beans, beets, mushrooms, salad . . . . When I got home, the Sparrowhawk had finished cooking bacon, and the whole house smelled delicious. Wright's Thick-Sliced Maple Bacon. I'm just sayin'! If bacon is your jam, it's the bomb.
Once all were up and dressed and had eaten, we made our way to one of those "family fun" places to play mini golf. We had to walk through the building to get there, and the hellish din of arcade machines and various rides and things set my teeth on edge. Some people like these things, and that's fine, but I don't. The mini golf course was quite nice, though--artfully designed and surrounded with nice plantings and water features. It would have been less nerve-wracking if there hadn't been a horde of summer camp kids in matching t-shirts barking at our heels! We had to hustle to stay ahead of them. It was a lot of fun in spite of all that.
The weather was just about perfect, and we finished up just in time for the Sparrowhawk and me to book it back to the theater to see "Oppenheimer." (We also finished just before my knee gave out.) The kids went to get lunch and visit the art museum. Sweaty and dehydrated, we had no time to buy popcorn, but popped into our seats in the IMAX just in the nick of time. The feature began . . . silently . . . and after a few minutes of no sound, cut off again. Disappointment! Out came a worker to tell us they were having trouble with the computer . . . Poor guy! Nobody wants that job. We waited for maybe ten minutes . . . finally the film started again, and worked until almost the end . . . It was a bit frustrating to have to wait again for the denouement to occur. They did pass out free tickets at the end, though.
This movie was very big and overwhelming, and I would warn anyone who wants to go see it that if you have any kind of sensitivity to sound, you might want to bring some noise-mitigating earplugs. Holy smokes, IT WAS LOUD. The soundtrack will induce anxiety attacks if the subject matter doesn't. It's so loud that it was kind of hard to hear the dialogue at times. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. There are few good or even nice people in this movie, so it's kind of grating to have to spend so much time with them. I already knew what a mess Oppenheimer was as a human being, so I was bored with all the parts that informed me of this. The movie is mostly about politics, not physics, and that part didn't interest me either. Most of the major players in the science story were reduced to footnotes or cameos. Gary Oldman's take on Truman was buffoonish and stupid. Truman was a lot of things, but he wasn't a dumb hick. Also, the movie's attempt at a visual portrayal of what physicists think about when they think about physics was a big failure, as such things always are. Ehh . . . I can't adequately summarize a tale of such enormity (and I do mean enormity, not just "being very large") at a length suitable for blogging. It IS very large, and worth seeing, but prepare to come away from it feeling profoundly disquieted and probably with a ringing in your ears.
When we got home, the kids treated us to pizza, and we had some more lively discussion and pleasant silence sitting around reading. Our final evening, alas. This morning the kids packed up and went home, bearing off a few books, half the peaches, a loaf of bread, and various other things, and leaving behind a pair of sneakers (the Nipper says throw them out--he needs new ones anyway) a t-shirt, and bottle of Pepto-Bismol (throw that out too). We moped for awhile, then returned to our normal routine of tidying up. I did my laundry, washed the towels, and put some of it away. I prepped the veggies to ease the Sparrowhawk's path in making us one of his fortifying stir frys, and it was good. The kids texted to say they were home and had retrieved their faithful hound from the doggie spa, so all is well. It was a week of many happy memories.
Once all were up and dressed and had eaten, we made our way to one of those "family fun" places to play mini golf. We had to walk through the building to get there, and the hellish din of arcade machines and various rides and things set my teeth on edge. Some people like these things, and that's fine, but I don't. The mini golf course was quite nice, though--artfully designed and surrounded with nice plantings and water features. It would have been less nerve-wracking if there hadn't been a horde of summer camp kids in matching t-shirts barking at our heels! We had to hustle to stay ahead of them. It was a lot of fun in spite of all that.
The weather was just about perfect, and we finished up just in time for the Sparrowhawk and me to book it back to the theater to see "Oppenheimer." (We also finished just before my knee gave out.) The kids went to get lunch and visit the art museum. Sweaty and dehydrated, we had no time to buy popcorn, but popped into our seats in the IMAX just in the nick of time. The feature began . . . silently . . . and after a few minutes of no sound, cut off again. Disappointment! Out came a worker to tell us they were having trouble with the computer . . . Poor guy! Nobody wants that job. We waited for maybe ten minutes . . . finally the film started again, and worked until almost the end . . . It was a bit frustrating to have to wait again for the denouement to occur. They did pass out free tickets at the end, though.
This movie was very big and overwhelming, and I would warn anyone who wants to go see it that if you have any kind of sensitivity to sound, you might want to bring some noise-mitigating earplugs. Holy smokes, IT WAS LOUD. The soundtrack will induce anxiety attacks if the subject matter doesn't. It's so loud that it was kind of hard to hear the dialogue at times. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. There are few good or even nice people in this movie, so it's kind of grating to have to spend so much time with them. I already knew what a mess Oppenheimer was as a human being, so I was bored with all the parts that informed me of this. The movie is mostly about politics, not physics, and that part didn't interest me either. Most of the major players in the science story were reduced to footnotes or cameos. Gary Oldman's take on Truman was buffoonish and stupid. Truman was a lot of things, but he wasn't a dumb hick. Also, the movie's attempt at a visual portrayal of what physicists think about when they think about physics was a big failure, as such things always are. Ehh . . . I can't adequately summarize a tale of such enormity (and I do mean enormity, not just "being very large") at a length suitable for blogging. It IS very large, and worth seeing, but prepare to come away from it feeling profoundly disquieted and probably with a ringing in your ears.
When we got home, the kids treated us to pizza, and we had some more lively discussion and pleasant silence sitting around reading. Our final evening, alas. This morning the kids packed up and went home, bearing off a few books, half the peaches, a loaf of bread, and various other things, and leaving behind a pair of sneakers (the Nipper says throw them out--he needs new ones anyway) a t-shirt, and bottle of Pepto-Bismol (throw that out too). We moped for awhile, then returned to our normal routine of tidying up. I did my laundry, washed the towels, and put some of it away. I prepped the veggies to ease the Sparrowhawk's path in making us one of his fortifying stir frys, and it was good. The kids texted to say they were home and had retrieved their faithful hound from the doggie spa, so all is well. It was a week of many happy memories.
