It's that time of year - Thanksgiving

That time of year thou may'st in me behold 
  When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang 
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, 
  Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang:


In me thou see'st the twilight of such day 
  As after sunset fadeth in the west, 
Which by and by black night doth take away, 
  Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest:


In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire 
  That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, 
As the death-bed whereon it must expire 
  Consum'd with that which it was nourish’d by:   

  This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, 
  To love that well which thou must leave ere long. 

- William Shakespeare

Hope you weren't disappointed that the post title wasn't referring to Frank Sinatra singing the Christmas Waltz.

The brief Thanksgiving break was an full one. Begun with the joyous news that we could leave work early. The Thanksgiving feast was held in Pacifica at my grandparents, comme d'habitude. The three J's and Q spent the night with G at my grandparents, and my oldest cousin D and his family of +2 was there when we arrived. Little D is just about Q's age. We got along swimmingly. Soon after arrival I had a plastic 9 inch fishing pool in hand with a magnet at the end and was crawling around the house on my hands and knees racing cars. I obey instructions well. Thankful for all the ways the babes make family gatherings enjoyable.

Czech dumplings and sauerkraut, it's what's for dinner. Thankful my grandparents share a little bit of our heritage with us for the holidays. Also, thankful that, as they get older, they speak less and less in Czech to each other so we can't understand.

There is a house on a hill in Pacifica built to look like a castle, and as Q is completely in her princess fascination phase we took a walk after dinner to show her the castle. She and lil' J were sufficiently impressed. The walk culminated in a stirring round of ring-around-the-rosie at the top of the hill. Love love love my family.

Back to the poem....

The big news of the weekend was that Papa finally died Saturday morning. I'm thankful he isn't suffering from his cancer anymore, but it's been a little bit of a shock. Of course, being us, when my parents returned from the lake Sunday evening you would have found us employing our favorite coping mechanisms, wit and hilarity. Laughter is great medicine. I freak out slightly each time someone attempts to approach me with expressions of sympathy, need to work on that.

In a natural life twist, because this would of course happen, my father's uncle passed away the same day. My only recollection of him is a photo of him and his family at my baby christening. Wednesday will be spent driving down to the bay for Uncle L's funeral. It is also my parent's 31st anniversary, and G's 14th birthday - talk about a humdinger of a day.

I'm thankful for experiences that put life in perspective, make me think, appreciate how truly amazing my life is and the wonderful blessings I have. Including the heartlessly practical gratitude I have for the five days of funeral leave the State of California is kind enough to offer me.

Documentary Round-up

As the year isn't close to over maybe it's premature for this, I'll likely add additional titles. As I've got a few posts I can't yet write without potentially hazardous repercussions, it's something.

Confession: I love Netflix. Though I rarely complete a film in one sitting. Looking over the past year's list it's about 90% documentaries - the rest movies mostly made decades before I was born.

A moment I loved - Richter painting, I was frozen.

Here is the list of documentaries I've watched over the last 12 months (Hopefully I didn't miss more than one or two):

Unmistaken Child - A Tibetan monk goes in search of the reincarnation of his dead master, Lama Konchog. A fascinating process to observe. I had some moments of disbelief, but believing in a religion many probably think is equally unbelievable myself, I did my best to erase incredulity. Still can't get over this kid.

Life in a Day - It's amazing. The small yet intimate, average but amazing, moments of life occurring as the earth completes one rotation.

Being Elmo - Also amazing. For the love of puppets watch it.

Reel Injun - Examines the way Native American's have been portrayed in film. I found it particularly interesting after working on the California Indians exhibit at the California Museum (that exhibit I did research and a little graphic design for, if you've forgotten).

The Rape of Europa - Always a favorite, makes me want to simultaneously sob uncontrollably over all the art stolen and destroyed during WWII, scream at the screen in frustration, and kiss every one of the individuals who sacrificed to thwart arts destruction.

Between the Folds - Origami. If you like paper (and I do) it's interesting, but slow at times.

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman - Photographing architecture, it's a great pairing.

A Touch of Greatness - Albert Cullum is my educational hero; his middle school students discuss poetry and drama on a level beyond many folks in my graduate program. The black and white footage is wonderful. And the giant map - love!

Marwencol - Fascinating, though I'll willingly admit to feeling, at times, like a voyeur observing a personal world. Gist - man gets rather savagely beat-up, brain damage, he builds a fictional (barbie-size) WWII town where he processes life experiences through dolls. The Steve McQueen doll was quite a dish. Best film you'll ever watch about a man playing with dolls.

The Parking Lot Movie - Entirely about a parking lot in Virginia and the attendants who worked there. Surprisingly wonderful.

The Reinactors - Don't bother. They try just a little too hard - impersonators on Hollywood Boulevard.

The Queen and I - Relationship between the filmmaker and the Shah of Iran's wife, Farah. Good.

5 Sides of a Coin - Documentary about hip-hop, its more than just rap folks.

Romantico - Two Mexican mariachi singers from San Francisco to Mexico. Pretty heartbreaking.

Bulletproof Salesman - Fabulous film about a luxury armored car salesman, basically a war profiteer. I was riveted, and it obviously left an impression because driving around the next day I saw a duck-tape wrapped box lying in the road and the thought "crap an IED" flashed across my mind.

Pressure Cooker - Inner city Philadelphia high school students in culinary arts class. Funny and touching. I cried at the gym watching it.

American Mullet - Not the highest quality film, but need I say more than the title?

Jiro Dreams of Sushi - Foodie heaven. Amazing. Entertaining. Makes me hungry now just thinking about it.

Unusual Buildings & Other Roadside Stuff - I don't know what it is about American that produced this stuff, but I'm glad someone did. Though I don't think I could live in a giant shoe or duck.

Make Believe - Film about young magicians competing to become the teen world magic champion. Spoiler: I was glad that girl does not win. I did adore the kid who does win. Highly recommended.

Samsara - Breathtaking. An image is worth a million words in this case.

The Human Experience - I don't know that I could do some of the things they do, but I was touched.

The Rock-afire Explosion - 80's animatronic band.

Give Me the Banjo - I may take up banjo playing.

Strictly Background - More than you ever wanted to know about being a Hollywood extra.

Gerhard Richter Painting - I could watch him paint for hours. I want his studio. Adored.

Did you make it all the way to the end?

Lake Visit

Took an unexpected trip up to the lake this weekend to visit the grandparents. When it wasn't raining the scenery was divine. It rained most of the time.

I spent the majority of the visit avoiding the emotional perils of reality by playing with Q.

I'm not sure what she thought was in that cabinet, but from the way she jumped when she heard her name and the expression on her face I think she'd be disappointed to know all she's missing out on are stacks of mixing bowls.

November???

I’m horrified that November arrived so unexpectedly. October was one of the busiest months of my year, and inconsiderately ended sooner than wished. One change is that I moved once again, this time home to W. C₁ was kind enough to relinquish his bedroom and I might be able to unpack before Thanksgiving. I’m lucky to have a family who puts up with me and my shenanigans. Hoping life gets figured out before too long.

In the meantime, I am enjoying my almost one hour commute more than I expected. The road between D and W is one of my favorites.