"Summer has set in with its usual severity." 

--- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Tonight, for the second time this summer, I drove home during during a tornado watch and an accompanying downpour. There's nothing that quite excites the senses as the possibility of peril. I was in a rather unprotected spot when the call came from a family member that on the weather report, there were some Doppler super-cells of oranges, reds and purples headed right toward where I was. So, I grabbed a few things and took off toward home where I could stay in the basement. Well, it started pouring to beat anything just as I pulled into the driveway --- I could see a virtual river of surface water cascading down the boat launch next to our property. Staying in the car, I comforted Ruff with a few "It's OK!" phrases and a hand on his shoulder. I wanted to wait until the rain tapered a bit so we didn't get soaked to the bone. That ended up being about 15 minutes, during which I witnessed my garden trellis, holding my pole beans and cucumbers, list to the side. So, as the storm passed I got out and tried to reset it into the ground a bit (when I installed it, I had pounded the legs into the ground about 9 inches) and used a pry bar to keep it propped up. I'll take a look at it tomorrow morning, and see if the tomato cages need any reinforcing as well. That first severe summer storm, they pop out of the ground and it's a devil of a time trying to get them to get a secure bite of earth again. Happy to report that we made it through safe and sound.

Huntress Diana

This statute, called the Huntress Diana (or simply Diana) by Augustus Saint-Gaudens has been a favorite of mine for some time. It has such great contours, elegant form and is technically perfect. When I first saw this on a documentary about the artist, my attention was captivated.

There have been a lot of artists who created busts and statues to war heroes that exist as a physical reminder on their particular spot of remembrance. I am acquainted with the sculptor of the Husky statue outside of Gampel Pavillion at the UConn campus, and before every exam I had during my matriculation there, I rubbed its nose for luck. Indeed, that was a big part of the commission --- it's a congregating spot where people stride, touch and hold up their diplomas in front of it. It was a creation of college tradition. Nothing wrong with that.

But, when you look at his body of work, Saint-Gaudens had such a way with metal. I don't mean to blow smoke, but he could fill lifeless earth elements with reverent emotion. Whether it was the form of Diana; a tangible representation of the seclusion of depression in the Adams Memorial; or the glory, the diversity and a weird concomitant sense of anonymity in the Shaw Memorial as the eyes are first drawn to the long rifles being held over-shoulder as a dominant vertical, the massive horse as the dominant horizontal, the angel overhead... then the faces of the men. They demand the respect, but not the humbleness that many statues seek to impose. I think that's what makes such a difference for me, especially in these highlighted pieces.

It's so hot....

 With the temperature here in the mid-90°s for the past two days (including a so-called heat index of 115°F today) and another in store for tomorrow, I thought I'd share a collection of Johnny Carson's "It's so hot..." quips. Some are straight from him, some gleaned from the web and some originated from and/or reworked by yours truly:

It's so hot... Satan went home until it cools off.
It's so hot... Rosie O’Donnell is selling shade.
It's so hot... Burger King is saying, "If you want it your way... cook it yourself!"
It's so hot... I saw a funeral procession pull through a Dairy Queen!
It's so hot... I saw two fire hydrants fighting over a dog.
It's so hot... the ice cream man is now only selling milkshakes.
It's so hot... every gay person who's ever come out of the closet has gone back in.
It's so hot... L.A. Dodgers fans were seen removing the paper bags from over their heads.
It's so hot... you've been getting hot flashes --- and you're a man!
It's so hot... Paris Hilton has sworn off making sex tapes until we get a cool snap.
It's so hot... I saw a dog chasing a cat --- and they were both walking.
It's so hot... Al Sharpton came over to swim at Don Imus's pool party.
It's so hot... people driving their Mustangs with the top down and seat belts on have "FORD" branded into their hips.
It's so hot... cows are giving evaporated milk.
It's so hot... digital thermometers have a reading of “Are you friggin' kidding me!!?”
It's so hot... birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.
It's so hot... you've experienced condensation on your rear end from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
It’s so hot... when you wear wrinkled clothes outside, they get steam-pressed.
It's so hot... chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs.
It's so hot... straight construction workers are wolf-whistling at the Poland Springs delivery man as he walks by.
It’s so hot... even the sun is looking for some shade.
It’s so hot... not only can you fry an egg on a sidewalk --- you can cook hash browns to go with it.
It's so hot... the retirement center is having a wet T-shirt contest.
It's so hot... Jehovah's Witnesses started tele-marketing.
It's so hot... habanero peppers are looking for some buttermilk to bathe in.
It's so hot... fish are sweating.
It's so hot... hot water comes out of both taps.
It's so hot... I saw a turkey praying for Thanksgiving.
It's so hot... you need a spatula to remove your clothing.
It's so hot... your kids' braces are giving them third-degree burns on their lips.
It's so hot... the strawberries are ripe and the cab drivers are riper.
It's so hot... Dick Cheney asked to be water-boarded.
It's so hot... I saw a robin dipping his worm in a birdbath.
It's so hot... the ducks on the lake come in "original recipe" and "extra crispy."
It's so hot... your car overheats before you start to drive it.
It's so hot... I just saw a squirrel trying to cool off his nuts.

And it's so hot...

How hot is it?

It is *so* hot... Democrats are taking their hands out of your pockets to fan themselves.

(Photo illustration originated from screened.com and altered to B&W.)

Film Review: "The Other Woman (Love and Other Impossible Things)" (2009)

I watched “The Other Woman (or, Love and Other Impossible Things)” a couple of months ago after it had a re-release due to Natalie Portman’s Oscar buzz and eventual Best Actress win for “Black Swan.” There's a lot of people who mercilessly criticize Portman's acting outside of "Black Swan" but I walked away impressed.

“The Other Woman” did not receive critical praise. In fact, as an on-demand option on some cable networks, it darn near was a straight-to-video release. A story about a home-wrecker is simply not a film that’s going to get high praise from the viewing public. There are a lot of people who have visceral reactions to the generic "other woman" --- there is almost no way they will see this character as someone with whom they can identify or empathize. And for that reason, this concept was commercially doomed. Too many people's lives have been affected by infidelity for them to have much of a reaction but disgust or anger. In American literature and movies, the adulteress must get her just desserts for what she's done --- often with her life, or at the very least, any chance at happiness.

And that is essentially what happens to Emilia in “The Other Woman.” After having a seemingly targeted affair with Jack, one of the top lawyers at the firm where she works after graduating from Harvard Law School, Emilia finds herself pregnant. And at this point, the film makes a gracious leap forward in the timeline, bypassing matters of Jack and Carolyne’s divorce and picking up at the point where Jack and Emilia are getting married. But Emilia’s moral debt comes due when Isabel, the child conceived in sin, dies a few days after birth. As the story moves on, we see Emilia sinking into a mix of depression, guilt, and a profoundly awkward relationship with a profoundly awkward William, Jack’s son from the previous marriage. William comes out with some very inappropriate comments (and classroom drawings), even for a pre-adolescent --- one wonders whether there’s a medical or if it’s simply a parroting of Carolyne’s snarky and vindictive attitude. The upshot of it is that Emilia is shown regressing into kid-thought, at times becoming like a second child in the household. She graduated from Harvard Law and can’t seem to win a household argument against a little boy, and is somewhat desperate to justify herself and prove that she was in the right. For instance, when she takes lactose-intolerant William out for ice cream after school and the boy proceeds to soil his pants at a party, Emilia is relieved to find out that some other kids at that party later had that issue as well. She calls to have Jack tell Carolyne that the incident wasn’t her fault… as if it were a huge matter. But to Emilia, burdened with the weight of grave responsibility, it is. And it’s here that I’d like to point out Portman’s nuanced acting that reflects many undercurrents just beneath the surface, but with an exterior façade of appropriate coping. As much as she plays a naïve and neurotic ballerina in “Black Swan,” Portman had to show much more in “The Other Woman.”

After an emotional blowout at a remembrance event in Central Park, where she yells at her father for his infidelity (and seemingly, yelling at herself for her own), Emilia is at a crossroads. She confides a dark secret she’s been harboring --- she believes she smothered Isabel when she fell asleep in bed with her. And here’s where the film has one of its more intriguing moments. Carolyne (played by Lisa Kudrow in a complete cold, bitchy polarity to her “Friends” role of Phoebe) puts aside her loathing of this “Other Woman” and shows some true compassion as she explains to Emilia that there was no chance she accidentally suffocated Isabel. And then the glint of compassion is gone as quickly as it arrived. In many ways, Carolyne’s reaction in this scene tacks closely with the audiences’ view of Emilia. She’s not to blame in the scope of Isabel’s death, but in the larger picture, we won’t forget that she’s no saint.

And so it goes in relationship stories that boy must lose girl (or in this case, vice versa) and Jack decides that Emilia’s behavior is just too much for him. Until, several weeks (or months) later, boy and girl bump into each other, and the time and distance has made them each see the situation more clearly.

“The Other Woman” doesn’t get rave reviews among critics or on the discussion boards. I understand that. It doesn’t deal with popular subject matter. There are many who point and write “J’accuse!” at the screenplay's and novel's writers and intimate that they must be cheaters themselves in order to have this relatively kind treatment. There are many viewers who might want to see the “Other Woman” of the title pay more dearly for her sin. They might prefer that the character of Emilia got some form of cancer and died repeating how remorseful she was for her adultery. Make no mistake that we still live in that kind of world, and that as much as people preach forgiveness (and perhaps they feel forgiveness, too; albeit a guarded brand of it), they are less willing to wish for future happiness for the scarlet woman. And also, to posit the question here, what would our thoughts be if Isabel hadn’t died? Was Isabel's death necessary to redeem Emilia’s sin or sway some measure of audience sympathy? I rather think so… and what a sad circumstance that is necessary for sympathy and forgiveness. How much must be endured before this person is allowed to love again? Emilia is a flawed character in a film mostly full of flawed characters --- and indeed, in a world full of flawed people.

(Photo © "The Other Woman" (2009).  IMDB page.)

T.V. Review: "Single Father" (2010)

On Friday night, I finally got around to watching "Single Father," a 2010 U.K. series starring David Tennant. After his wife, Rita, is killed when her bicycle is hit by a speeding police car that runs a red light, Dave struggles to maintain his complex family structure --- he has a daughter from a previous marriage, Rita had a daughter before they met --- who now wants to meet her biological father --- and they had three children together. As the story unfolds and with some separation of time, Dave must figure out how to move on, and come to terms that his wife had kept secrets from him. An incidental kiss with Rita's best friend, Sarah (Suranne Jones) promises to further complicate his life.

I had only intended to watch the first of four hour-long parts on Friday, but it was really addictive. The screenplay at several junctures seemed a little too tightly woven, but there always has to be a suspension of disbelief mixed with just accepting the plot and watching the story as it plays out. Regardless, the tight weave does nothing to detract from the quality of the story-telling. As much as it begins with a tragedy, this series has a fair amount of humor joining the drama.

Owing to his time on "Doctor Who" and a great turn as Hamlet in 2009, I have become a big fan of David Tennant. (Well, of his acting. I agree not a whit with his overt political views. But hey, nobody's perfect.) He brings so much energy into his craft, he acts with his eyes in ways that few others do, and there's a kind of je ne sais quoi that's just beneath the surface that fine-tunes the precise amount of zaniness for his characters. "Single Father" is a bit of a departure for Tennant, playing a normal person in a normal --- though a bit convoluted --- circumstance apart from previous roles as a Time Lord and the gravitas of the Danish Prince (Tennant has the best performance of the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy that I have ever seen). I think I ought to own up to the fact that as much as they may be looked down upon among machismo males, I've come to rather enjoy these kind of dramas. But I will mitigate this is by saying this series is by no means like the dreck dramas on the Lifetime network. In several ways, with obvious points of departure, it is like a Scottish take on Steve Carrell's enjoyable "Dan in Real Life." It ended in a self-contained manner, and at this point BBC has no plans for a second series. I'd really suggest it for someone looking for a short series.

"The clean sleek creature arose from its fleece --- how perfectly like Aphrodite rising from the foam, should have been seen to be realized --- looking startled and shy at the loss of its garment, which lay on the floor in one soft cloud, united throughout, the portion visible being the inner surface only, which, never before exposed, was white as snow and without flaw or blemish of minutest kind." 

--- Thomas Hardy, the sheep-shearing, in "Far from the Madding Crowd."

Edit-Undo

It's amazing the number of people who walk through their lives as if there's an Edit-Undo button that can magically remove their particular stupidity from existence.

Yes, people, you need to think before you speak or act.