POTD: Memento Mori

From 2019 08 17 Lima, Peru

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Basilica de San Francisco de Lima in Peru. Walk up the main aisle of the basilica and halfway to the altar you walk over a grate in the floor. Below are these skulls, reminders of our own mortality, that this world is only our temporary home.

A less jarring photo of the basilica is after the jump. The dark spot in the aisle floor is the grate.

Marriage Story (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Marriage Story (2019): Intimate portrait of a marriage coming apart. Lots of touching scenes, heart-breaking scenes and searing scenes. Lots of dialog gives lots of opportunity to dissect everything about this relationship. Scarlet Johansson and Adam Driver deserve Oscar noms. A-

POTD: Tulips for a Good Cause

From 2019 04 09 Waxahachie

Today's photo-of-the-day is to brighten your day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when winter approaches and spirits might be low. It's from Waxahachie's Poston Gardens.

"Poston Gardens is only open during tulip season (spring) when the tulips are blooming. When you visit, you'll see hundreds of thousands of tulips blooming. Pick your favorites, take them home and even buy your own tulips to plant at home. And get the best pictures to share with family and friends. Poston Gardens is a 501 c3 organization helping to fund scholarships at Daymark Living for adults living with intellectual and developmental delays."

Next spring, make it a point to pay them a visit. Until then, enjoy the pretty picture.

POTD: Fridheimar

From 2019 03 01 Iceland

Today's photo-of-the-day shows the Fridheimar greenhouse in Iceland. Visting Iceland, the land of fire and ice, in winter, might give you the impression of a barren land. But then you come across this greenhouse, filled with tomatoes, and not just that, a restaurant among the plants serving fresh vegetables year round.

Bonus photos after the jump.

Review: The Sixth Extinction

Amazon

From The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert:


Very, very occasionally in the distant past, the planet has undergone change so wrenching that the diversity of life has plummeted. Five of these ancient events were catastrophic enough that they're put in their own category: the so-called Big Five. In what seems like a fantastic coincidence, but is probably no coincidence at all, the history of these events is recovered just as people come to realize that they are causing another one."

In a calm, reasoned, tone, Kolbert lays out the case that we are living through a mass extinction on Earth. We should be tearing out hair out, but we are not. Despite the intelligence of our species, humans are such obtuse creatures.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019): Magazine writer with anger issues with his father is assigned to write a profile of Mr. Rogers. The interview turns into therapy. Rogers is a saint, the same off camera as on. Hanks has Rogers down. The movie is more Matthew Rhys's. B+

POTD: Gullfoss

From 2019 03 01 Iceland

Today's photo-of-the-day shows Gullfoss (Golden Falls), a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. It was both very cold and very windy the day we visited in late winter.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ford v Ferrari (2019): A sports movie. A good one, but still. Predictable plot. Two-dimensional characters. Clichéd dialog. The guys from Ford are supposed to be the good guys, but I found myself cheering for the "wops" from Ferrari. Good performance by Christian Bale. B-

Idle Thoughts: Family of Grifters

Tweets from November, 2019:

• 2019-11-01: Parasite (2019): Korean. Family of grifters con a rich family. All is going well until a complication arises. Then it's chaos. A black comedy with violence, suspense, and farce. Just when you think writers have written themselves into a corner, they escape. Over and over. A-
• 2019-11-02: Whose was bigger? The Washington Nat's World Series victory celebration or the Trump inauguration crowd? Trick question: the correct answer to any question about whose is bigger is never Trump.
• 2019-11-04: Echo in the Canyon (2019): Documentary about a magical place and time when the mid-60s California Sound was in its prime. Reminiscences by many of the musical geniuses of how they inspired each other. Lots of 2015 tribute concert. Lots overlooked. Not enough old video. B+
• 2019-11-04: Thread. Maybe the most important message you'll read during the 2020 election campaign.

After the jump, more idle thoughts.

The Irishman (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Irishman (2019): Scorsese directs De Niro, Pacino, Pesci (that's all you need) in a 3.5 hour intimate epic (there can be such a thing) about the mob and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. A disapproving look from De Niro's daughter, just a look, supplies the morality. A-