From the Desk of…
Let’s see how distracted I get writing this instead of going to bed. I have to do it now because I otherwise won’t have time to mimeograph enough copies to hand out at the library.
Speaking of handing things out at the library, a hearty round of applause to all the reproductive rights activists who, on hearing that the recreational marijuana legislative initiative needed 679 more signatures, found the time in their busy lives and schedules to collect 1296 in the Central Ohio area. Even if that matched the 55% validation rate that the prior batch had turned in, even if no one else in the state collected any, that would put this at about 713, so… if I were a betting senator, I’d say that we’ll have something about weed on the ballot in November. I’m not though, so please ignore me while I check the Mega Millions numbers. Damn. Maybe next time.
The Columbus Education Association bargaining unit grew by nearly 300 building substitutes after the union and the Board of Education reached an agreement. Starting to think that there is power in a union, but the jury’s still out! The Ohio GOP, clearly feeling great about their Issue 1 odds, have launched a new attack on November’s abortion amendment, claiming that even though it was certified by the Secretary of State, uhhhhhh, nuh-uh, it’s actually wrong, or something. If the lawsuit succeeds, then the ballot issue gets spiked before a single vote is cast. Well, a vote outside the judges on the Supreme Court, and we definitely know that the Ohio Supreme Court would never behave in a partisan manner that advantages the Republican Party. Relatedly this week, one of Ohio’s brightest minds who became a COVID-skeptical “analyst” propped up by the state of Florida was caught out approving of the neo-Nazi DeSantis memes created in a Signal channel. Actually, that’s not quite right. Kyle Lamb is a Certifiable Dillweed, and I said “brightest minds.” No, all Ohio’s brightest minds end up either helping the local fascists destroy our democracy (bad ending) or becoming so tired and exasperated with their realities that they turn to abusing various substances as a faulty coping mechanism and writing lengthy screeds to mimeograph for library patrons (good ending). So, you know, maybe we’ll get to vote on abortion in November. Folks did everything right. We might just have to vote harder.
As the Siberian permafrost melts in this ever-changing world in which we live in, we enter a new era of horrors and monstrosities, like this 46,000-year-old worm that scientists brought back to life. Advances like that make me step back and think, “wow, if science can bring a worm back to life after that long, maybe there’s a chance I’ll find the right combination of nootropics to simulate a restful night’s sleep on Monday mornings.” Or at least science will find some way to thaw out Mitch McConnell for another hundred years of terror.
Please check your voter registration and make a plan to vote No on Issue 1 on or before Tuesday, August 8th. It might be closer than you think. If you’re reading this and aren’t a registered voter in the state of Ohio, well, why aren’t you?
The Brain Dump
they should invent a sandwich with two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickle, and onions on a sesame seed bun
i did everything right and they indicted me
Phil Collins could've done the soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ but Peter Gabriel could never have done Tarzan
Skinamarink 2: Into the Groverhaus
ah, all this enthusiasm around early voting, reminds me of October 2016
Strange… I remember dumping more out… I guess I really was wiped out last weekend.
At the Movies
Alright, let’s get to it. Actually, maybe we’ll do bonus reviews this week. I know you kids like ‘em extra.
Barbie (2023), dir. Greta Gerwig ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ❤️
This is a five star flick for the art, production, and costume design alone. Ann Roth knows she's beautiful, after all. I personally appreciate films that encourage their audience not to think about the logic too much. It's just a movie, and besides, math class is hard. The jokes work more often than not. The casting is exceptional. The plot is interesting enough, but I must say I was far more interested in Barbieland/Kendom(land) than our world, and I think I'm just tired of car chases.
More than anything, what I came away with was a desire to use the film as an instructional tool for Campbell's monomythic Hero's Journey. I think it'd be great for that. Of course, I'd probably get complaints that it's too woke from brainwashed parents. Alas.
But what an audio-visual feast it was.
Oppenheimer (2023) dir. Christopher Nolan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
When it was setting up, I thought the frenetic editing and timeline hopping was unsustainable, but I also thought it was an interesting application of quantum principles to show all realities as concurrent. Superposition in film. It was unsustainable, of course, like any reaction that consumes so much energy, and then it settles into its two-track narrative that drives the rest of the film.
I dunno. It was technically adroit but not emotionally resonant with me. David Lynch already did Trinity by way of Stan Brakhage. I did love remembering some guys for three hours. Great casting. Nothing is wrong with the film, outside perhaps Nolan veiling a defense of his own political past through it. Loved the quick insert with the gloves to create ambiguity around Jean in the tub. I feel like I appreciated the Strauss narrative more than most I was with, but I'm a politics dork. Demonstrates the quintessential Newtonian law of actions and reactions - another mind of his time we have moved beyond.
Yeah, I dunno. It made me want to play my Founding Fathers board game because all it amounts to is remembering some guys, arguing about cabinet posts, and double-checking math.
Dr. Venture as Gödel! Walking eye, anyone?
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), dir. Martin Scorsese ⭐⭐⭐⭐
You know, there was another three-hour movie with an all-star cast about an often-mythologized Great Man who struggled to reconcile his earthly desires and personal ambition with his feelings of guilt and responsibility, who went out into the desert and returned with the ability to baptize the world by fire only to instead be persecuted by his political enemies for his radical ideas about peace...
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), dir. Tim Burton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ❤️
"There's a lotta things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie. Things you wouldn’t understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you SHOULDN’T understand."
Pee-wee's Playhouse is one of the few works I've worked into a wedding ceremony. Truly though, if you love them so much, why don't you marry them? I now better understand why the nascent revival of the character seemed to be cut short.
"I've learned something out here on the road, Dottie: humility."
Let us all wish to be so beloved by so many, despite any faults or mistakes. Please, bow your heads and join me in prayer... mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho.
"I say we let him go."
One Picture
please… please vote
In closing,
Pee-wee Herman, whimsical playhouse resident and biking advocate, once told his girl friend Dottie that there were a lotta things about him that she wouldn’t, couldn’t, and shouldn’t understand. We all have our private hardships. Often, we feel embarrassed to share them with our friends and loved ones who could help us. The fear of being misunderstood or being judged can prevent us from opening up, leaving us to struggle alone. Worse still, as a result of that struggle, we can end up hurting the people we love. Just remember that healthy friendships and intimacy are built on foundations of vulnerability and trust. We can’t know the totality of what’s going on in someone’s life. All we can do is treat them with kindness and hope that one day they feel comfortable sharing themselves with us. It makes it easier for everyone involved. Until next time, be sure to tell them Large Marge sent you.