the opposite of a superhero movie

[rose_griffes]

One odd quirk of social distancing: I wasn't paying attention to how long I worked in the yard, because I didn't have to rush to do the next thing. (Go out to meet friends, have a class in-person, whatever...) And I ended up working out there for two hours. Well, that explains why my arms hurt.

Trimming hedges. Trimming back baby trees that I don't want and then painting the wee little stumps with tree poison. Collecting all of that yard waste in the appropriate bags... which really doesn't make a difference for the moment, because yard waste collection isn't an essential service, so it's on hold. I dunno if I'm going to give in and dump all of this in the regular trash or try keeping the bags of yard waste on the patio for an unspecified amount of time.

Anyway! Last night I watched The Farewell on Amazon Prime and I definitely recommend it. Things I liked about it (without being too spoilery):

• the way it portrayed the lives of immigrant children
• there was this one moment where it becomes painfully clear that at times it’s not a “third culture” experience, it’s two incomplete cultures that will never feel like they’re enough
• the use of negative space, if that can be a cinematic term
• lots of moments with no soundtrack
• dwelling on scenes that don’t have to move the narrative forward, they’re just... people being people
• the ongoing ambiguity of people’s choices - there’s no clear right or wrong, just different opinions influenced by culture