The Reader

Kate Winslet's eyes spoke their language. She has the ability to mutate from an unconventional housewife living on a Revolutionary Road into an illiterate lover linked to the dark passages of Auschwitz. And she has the ability to get excited, and excite us, with the verses and lines from universal masterpieces that enter her ears and trigger her mind with pain, lust, sensitibity. Scarce moments of delight and a life journey filled with puzzle pieces that would hardly paint a clear image in the end. Reading and writing as a route to connect to the outer world when one is imprisonned (literally and metaphorically). 

A question arised, what is it that reading offers that audio-visual cannot? my answer, when reading, a voluntary action that requires an intimate effort, we get to paint our images and recreate characters in our minds... audiovisual gives us painted pictures as we watch passively... 

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De tú a tú

Dice la niña, hoy una amiguita cumple años y mañana otra amiguita cumple años pero a la otra amiguita no le tenemos sorpresa, ¿tú sabes qué le podemos dar? Ella es vanidosa, tres cosas que a ella le gustaría, tu elijes, la número uno es una lámpara brillante, la dos una bufanda peluda con espejo y con gafas de plástico, y la número tres, déjame pensar, un bebé.

- Yo le digo, si yo fuera la niña vanidosa pediría la lámpara brillante (para verme mejor).

- Bueno ya me tengo que ir, dice la niña, mi pregunta es, ¿cómo se inventó la nieve? 

- La nieve es lluvia que se congeló en un día muy frío.

- ¿Cuál fue el primer hombre que descubrió el fuego?

- El fuego es un rayo que cayó sobre un árbol en un día de tempestad, el árbol se encendió y los habitantes de la región, donde vivía aquel árbol en llamas, se llevaron cada uno un pedacito de fuego a su casa... lo pasaron de unos a otros por años... hasta que alguien se inventó los fósforos...

- ¿Quién es la primera persona que descubrió a Rusia? 

- Rusia... hmmm... ahí sí que me corchaste... vamos a tener que investigarlo juntos. 

- Bueno chao, dice la niña.

- Chao, que tengas una semana llena de sorpresas lindas. Share

Revolutionary Road

All roads should be revolutionary. I find that some of us loose hope as time goes by. Schemes and paradigms become the barriers we want to build instead of break. We become accommodating. We fear that drive that once enticed us to do meaningful things... that passion that wanted to change the world. I once packed up my few garments, sold off my scarce goods and embarked on a 10-year journey. Today, when I am about to reach a harbour the temptation is there to take off again. Why not? I'd love to yet again jump in the water and swim away. Along these years I have found companion. My significant other is not an anchor, he's a wing, a fin... we should not stop here, we have a longer journey ahead of us.

We've been watching some of the 2009 Oscar nominated feature films. Everybody talks about Benjamin Button, another recycled Forrest Gump (1994) with a more interesting premise and Slumdog Millionaire, A Bollywood soap opera with great camera shots and 2004 born-into-brothels-like characters aimed at breaking some Academy members' hearts.  My choice is Revolutionary Road... scheme-breaking... well done! (in recipe and flavour)... so far my favourite above Doubt (Seymour and Strip are great but so what?) and Freeze/Nixon (Too predictable, too "beginning, climax and happy end")... we'll see what happens with The Reader.

I like the name!

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Blindness

Poverty and violence walk hand in hand. Fear and social madness are one wall apart.  I recently watched the movie "Blindness", inspired by Jose Saramago's Ensayo sobre la ceguera... An interesting portrait of human condition under social and physical pressure. 

As our well-praised capitalist economy is crumbling and its evil daughter, the stock market, is plunging not only in the States but worldwide, some old communist must be celebrating... "it is the end of the empire as it's known", they may be saying... and perhaps, they aren't wrong. Things are changing and they ought to. It is time to revisit our view (and the needy-greedy rules) of the financial system, reconsider the vulnerability of the free markets and the wonders of a corporate world, not as safe and sound as once portrayed. Blinded by easy cash flow while exploiting non-renewable resources has led us to a crisis that Western governments are trying to bail-out. Would the expenditure of the hardly earned tax-payer money do the trick? I think our actions, as civil society, should go beyond this desperate measure... we have a chance to review the books and think this over. The market, as well as "the empire", are no longer safe... nor are we and our environment. Before this whole crisis unravels and the heart of recession awakens more violence, we should continue to listen to alternative voices that have been setting off the alarms of  "danger!" for quite some time now.  Sadly but true, the only "triggering passives" that seem to be affecting the political spectrum of this world are the purse string and our empty pockets... the rest is ignored green rhetoric. I'd hope that green means yet to ripen.   

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I saw a snake!

I did my afternoon of stair cleaning at the cottage. This time I did the front entrance (the wood steps). And then went down until I reached the storage room. What I basically do is rake, get rid of autumn leaves, get rid of grass and wild herbs. I was a bit tired, especially of the black flies. I had repellent on but it wasn’t enough.. they found my unprotected spots. It is the buzzing what “bugs” me the most.
I then trimmed my head’s hair a bit with the machine. Just the sides as I looked like a patriot. Swimming comes next but when I got down to the lake I thought I should go for a pedal boat ride. The lake was calmed like a pool. The rock looked inviting. So I pedaled with the sun on my back. The temperature went up to 26 today. I got to the rock. I tied the boat to a ripped orange rope that was hanging from a tree, jumped into the water and swam to the area where it is easier to access the diving part of the rock. I was all excited like a little kid who’s exploring a mystery island. I went up as much as I could barefoot and checked the boat, I was afraid the orange rope would not be strong enough to hold it… but it was there waiting for me. I then heard the grass move. I am used to the sound now because I hear chipmunks all day. It was a snake. Black and yellow, rather long, sticking its red tongue out. I found it amusing but a bit scary. I wasn’t sure if it was poisonous, it may not be, but I didn’t want to try… I jumped in the water right away. It felt great… and I wanted to try it again and again. I went on the rocked and walked up. I saw the snake rolling down again. A bit closer to the bottom of the rock. I would say it was close to a metre long and middle body rather thick. Thicker than the rope that tights the pedal boat. I didn’t feel like seeing it again so I jumped from a higher point this time. Swam a bit, got on the boat and swam back against the sun.
Lovely. Today I’ve seen a wood pecker, a beautiful blue jay and a snake . There was something in the water on the way back but I couldn’t see what it was because I had the sun in my eyes. It was on the surface for a while and the dived in and disappeared... Share

Summer shower

I hear this whispering sound of leaves being blown by the wind. But there is no wind. It is a sunny day, birds are singing, there is no sign of disturbance. And suddenly the rain. Out of nowhere. Full. Thick. Steady. Falling over the trees... refreshing… watering the flowers on the front deck. I sense there is a cloud over the house. Like in the movies… it only rains in that one area where the scene is happening. I am part of this bucolic scene. And I am imbued in it with its magic but protected under a roof. It pours freely. It stops, leaving a transparent mantle on every flat surface. And then the wind. It must’ve blown the grey cloud away. It will do its trick elsewhere. Share

Devon

My Devon is a growing gentleman. He's come a long way... he can reach altitudes now and jump and swim in this world that has challenged his path with tremendous obstacles. But he's managing thanks to his inner determination and his new family environment (where he's taken care of, understood, supported). We went swimming last weekend and crossed the pool a couple of times. He can dive into the deeper side and knows every life guard at the community centre. He proudly introduced me. Also gave me some of his drawings, a math text with excellent results and told me he had drawn his family and home including me. More than I could have ever expected. We met in August 2005 and have been "big brothers" since. I'd love to take him to Ottawa someday and do a few rode trips with him as he gets older. He reads and writes now so it is easier to communicate. When I told him I wanted to go for my doctorate degree, he said, he too wants to become a doctor. I pray for that day!

 

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