I’ve dropped my regular writing habit as of late. I wanted to write a quick post to say I’m doing alright. What’s happened recently?
I saw a documentary called The Rescue which was all about rescuing the boy’s soccer team that got stuck in caves that flooded. I expected to enjoy it, but this delivered an unexpected emotional impact. You kinda “know the plot” going into the movie, and yet it’s paced perfectly to unfold the story in a dramatic fashion. The absolute overwhelming joy I felt at the end was incredible. If you have to see one documentary this year (and you should), see this one.
In other movie news I saw Dune. I hadn’t read the books when I saw the movie. I went in completely blind with no expectations. What I got impressed me. Knowing little of the source material, I thought they brought the world to life. Hans Zimmer’s score (which I have to admit was not mixed well and is awfully loud during the movie). The feeling that the soundtrack evokes fits the atmosphere with perfect precision every time. It transports you to the arid deserts of Arrakis. Eagle-eyed readers might notice I used the word “hadn’t”, which to be clear means I’m reading the first book now. I’m about 30% of the way in, and I’ve almost caught up to the movie. With the announcement of part 2 on the way though it shouldn’t be that surprising. The first book was written in the mid 60s, but is not nearly as dated as I expected (except perhaps this passage).
Going to movie theatres is a strange experience after not being in one for the better part of a year and a half. It’s something I’m getting used to again. I did miss theatre popcorn something fierce though.
We had insane flooding here in town from a rainstorm. It was enough to knock out an arterial road that we rely on for getting goods into the city. It was difficult to get products into town, and sent some of the population into a frenzy. Panic buying everywhere. It was impossible to get gas for a few days (and we were running on fumes before the rain started). I saw signs in grocery stores limiting purchases of milk and eggs to one per customer. It’s pulled the wool from my eyes that we do not have the infrastructure for a real natural disaster. We need to get better prepared.
Today was an exciting day for me as I acquired a new coffee grinder. It’s a proper burr grinder, and based off my small sample size of one coffee it’s made a huge difference. I’ve been refining my Aeropress method thanks to James Hoffman’s YouTube channel. I think short of a full-on espresso machine I’ve found my setup. I did also purchase a pour-over (Hario V60) which I will be trying out soon. It will need practice.