Reflections on films, politics, and everything else.

Some articles lately have referred to COVID-19 along with the stages of grief, and that we need to be at “acceptance” now. Two months into it, I’m finally there. As unsettling as the empty parks were, now I’m getting anxious as people start coming out in groups thanks to both the warming weather and the unfounded belief by many that re-opening means it’s all okay now. It’s definitely not all okay. I’ve accepted that this virus is here and it’s not going away anytime soon. I still keep having trouble creating a daily routine, but some of the anxiety has lessened enough to allow my COVID brain to be able to start reading and watching some digital content again. I’ve been drawn to mysteries and police procedurals, which I always loved, and that tend to show up on public television during the summer months. It may not be summer yet, but keeping track of the days is a challenge, so why not pretend it’s summer? Focusing on who the killer is and why they did it is a better dist...

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...

Our state’s stay-at-home order, that was put in place back in mid-March, will expire on Friday. In essence, the governor has extended it, with some staggered loosening to begin. I both understand why, but also feel some tugs of frustration, wanting this to all be over. I’m certainly thankful our Republican governor doesn’t subscribe to the “Party of Stupid” mentality so many others, especially in the south, proclaim as the American way. I think it’s the loss of control over what we’re able to do that hit so many people so hard. There have been articles in The New Yorker and podcasts that have talked about how China was able to so quickly, after initial denials, get the virus under control (even if their published numbers may never be accurate). I can’t imagine Americans willingly doing what their citizens did to stop the spread; we are clearly not sacrificers. Here in Ohio, Governor DeWine first announced this past Monday that when retail operations opened back up in a few...

Like many of us, I haven’t been very productive lately. I tried signing up for Coursera classes, which have been a mixed bag, but also haven’t spurred me on to do anything. Creative Mornings is now offering Zoom fieldtrips, but I’m beginning to feel meditated out. I finally managed to finish reading a book, but Emily St. John Mandel’s apocalyptic story, Station Eleven , may not have been the best choice right now. Granted the book didn’t become a Hollywood disaster/zombie film (thankfully no zombies in the book or in real life yet), but it added to my melancholy. I tried to convince myself that reading about the worst/or quasi-worst outcome (99% of the population dies due to the swine flu in the book, and within 48 hours of developing symptoms) would make what we’re dealing with easier somehow. Instead, I keep thinking we may end up like that outcome thanks to our incompetent and impatient government. I’m still spending too much time on Facebook posting anti-Trump articles to ...