It grows on you

The Pastry Girl

by Iraj Tahmasb

While I was watching this movie I didn’t think too much of it. The story was somewhat predictable. The peripheral characters seemed somewhat flat. The general appearance seemed low budget.

But over the last couple of weeks, I’ve grown to appreciate it. Even savor it. Of course the peripheral characters were flat: they were supposed to be. The audience was supposed to know these characters like comfortable clothes: ready to wear and just the right size. The stock characters facilitated the main characters action without need to get into back story, and I think I like it. You can tell your story and not need to explain anything. Irascible old man needs no explanation if you know who he is. Meddlesome mothers needn’t have built-up, layered angst to drive the protagonists into action. Nothing needs explanation: just let the plot roll out.

That doesn’t mean the story has to be predictable. Not at all. Stock characters give you the flexibility to not have to have an intricate back story. The director can focus on the story.

It’s different from Hollywood, but it fits like an old cardigan. The kind you want to wear again and again. I will have to look for more movies by the director of this movie, Iraj Tahmasb.

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Small story

WHISKY (2004)(Sub)

The movie is an interesting character study, though it is presented as a comedy. Certainly, there are some comic moments in it, but that’s not what the film is.

Instead it is a story about a curmudgeonly factory owner who, for whatever reason, wants to show his visiting brother that he is married. Strange things unfold when the brothers and guest take a road trip to a beach town in Uruguay. Along the way are images of workaday Uruguay that you won’t see in other movies. (Why? Very few movies are made there.)

If you’re looking for action, move along. If you are looking for broad, sweeping drama, move along. If you’re looking for character study, this is for you.

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Computer instructional books suck

I’ve got a basic app running on localhost, but I can’t make it work on heroku the way I’ve got it running here. Grumble. None of the books—interweb or deadtree—can explain things clearly. No, it’s worse than that. I’ve checked out eight books from the library. Most of them are pretty useless. They either assume your an idiot (ok, perhaps I am in this matter) or that you’ve been programming for years. Usually both. Chapter 1 is for idiots. Chapter 3 is for the professionals.

I’m probably going to have to knuckle down with a live person at some point.

See more progress on: learn ruby on rails

Tasty snacks

Spice powders + the tiniest bit of salt + roasted sunflower seeds bought in bulk = a snack that rocks

Curry sunflower seeds are a tasty invention that you can only get here. They completely trump any FritoLay product. I’m not getting down on the good folks at FritoLay. I’ve just discovered a mega simple route to a tasty snack that is cheap. And yes, you do need to add just a bit of salt.

See more progress on: find ways to economize that don't detract from quality of life

Not going to be easy

But the motivation is within me. (I’ve got a website idea I want to inflict on the world.)

I don’t really think all that much like a computer, nor am I familiar with programming. What’s particularly vexing is that I’m learning how the language holds itself together independent of HTML. Now, I am familiar with learning languages, but at least human languages are useful from the first word. If you say “Hello” to someone in their language, they’ll respond back. If you say “put” in Ruby, I don’t know what that looks like within the context of a finished website. Though I am starting to get some notion of the database work involved—lots.

railsforzombies.org has some good interactive exercises for the beginner. And this beats the pants off of a book. How do I know that? I stopped at the library for a book on Ruby or Rails. I found two, both of which were impenetrable to my eyes.

This is going to be uphill, but I’m certain it will be worth it.

See more progress on: learn ruby on rails

Crying babies

I don’t feel very encouraged by Little Boy’s cries.

See more progress on: Be the best father I can be

Leo de los golpes en el mundo arabe

En elpais.com.

Seriously, reading the world news in Spanish helps. I’ve learned a lot of vocabulary and added additional meanings to words I already knew, which I suppose is good.

Sadly, I’m still vexed by the local Spanish radio programs.

See more progress on: improve my spanish

Russian time-travel comedy

Ivan Vasilievich - Back to the Future

by Leonid Gaidai

The movie opens with a man screaming at his hand. How can you top that?

I don’t even know where to begin with this. It’s a comedy with time travel, tsars and impostors. In some ways it will look pretty camp to 21st century Americans, and maybe the director intended that. There are some chase scenes which look like Benny Hill’s inspiration. There are Russian historic sites pressed into cinematic duty. There is a building superintendent who looks like Ivan the Terrible. Mistaken identities load it up for a screwball comedy of errors.

It’s amazing to think that this came out in the same year as Soylent Green or Westworld. Soviet film was definitely up to something different behind the Iron Curtain. Consider this a peek behind it.

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17 inches of snow

While it was kind of fun digging my way out of the mess, I can’t say I was thinking anything too deep.

Something about philosophy and mountains of snow don’t mix. However, since my body aches from the work, I may have to give Cicero’s de Senectute a reread.

See more progress on: wax philosophical while shoveling the driveway