Reflections on films, politics, and everything else.

What a difference a week makes, and not in a good way. Everything going on feels like déjà vu. The most important question is: will anything come of the unrest this time, or will we all just quietly go back to our old lives? When Trump became president, I mentioned to my husband that I thought he’d send us into a new civil war, and it looks like that could be happening. I, obviously, wasn’t the only one with that thought; there were plenty in the far left media who were bringing up what a divider on every level this man is, and not just on race. It’s been anxiety-producing living close to downtown and hearing police choppers fly overhead, then seeing the barricades and boarded up windows of shops and restaurants already hurt by the pandemic. Experiencing a militarized police is scary enough right now. The thought of Agent Orange sending in the military to bring about what he considers law and order, even though he had no trouble with white protesters carrying semi-automat...

So much of what I used to do still isn’t available. That’s not a complaint. I don’t plan on protesting, as I feel Ohio, while making restrictions, has been pretty generous (maybe too generous) as far as being able to get out and about. Most of us wouldn’t have survived China, Italy, or the UK’s real lock-downs. I have found other ways to fill up my days, but not necessarily all that productively. There have been some virtual film festivals that I might not have been able to attend that I was still able to either see the films or watch interviews with the filmmakers, which has been a nice upside to this insanity. Mostly, though, I just feel stuck. That’s not anything new for me. I tend to stay stuck (in the past it was in toxic workplaces) until I just can’t stand it anymore and have to do something. I’m trying to find that something . There are two experimental sketches this time. The first illustrates my stuckness , or the pauses so many of us are enduring. The s...