Active April

I get a monthly calendar from a group called Action for Happiness, which gives a daily wellness prompt based on a theme. This month's theme is "Active April," and here is today's challenge:

My plan is to commit to following the direction every day and then write about the experience. Here we go!

(Oh, and I also played pickleball and walked the dog 3 miles.)

Good-bye March

Today marks the end of the annual Slice of Challenge sponsored by the folks over at Two Writing Teachers. Participating in this month-long event back in 2009 got me started with daily writing, and even though I have kept it up on my own since then, I always look forward to March when other writers I know publish their thoughts and observations, too. The last post of the month is traditionally meant to be a reflection of the experience, so here's mine.

Not gonna lie, this year was something of a disappointment. Although my friend Mary wrote every day (yay, Mary!), none of the other members of my unofficial team participated. Oh, I get it. These are stressful times: everyone is busy, and many are overwhelmed. Finding the bandwidth to write is hard and not always worth it. I missed the camaraderie and connection, though, and I hope next year finds us all in a better place, ready to slice away.

As for me? I'll be here tomorrow.

Type Cast

We saw Mickey 17 today. Bong Joon Ho's latest offering is a satire about a four-and-a-half-year space journey and technology to "reprint" human beings from recycled biomatter after they have died and upload their consciousness, in order to make them "expendable." The title refers to the main character, Mickey,  who is on his 17th iteration after intentionally being exposed to radiation, nerve gas, hostile environments, viruses, vaccine trials, and other accidents by a corrupt organization, all in the name of colonizing a new planet and establishing a society based on their questionable values.

It's not a bad movie, and I wouldn't be surprised if we hear more about it as award season approaches. Like so many satires, the villains are cartoonish and one-dimensional, with a nod to current political figures, but the other characters are both comical and sympathetic, and by the end of the movie, they are well-developed and believable.

Rob Pattinson plays the title character, Mickey, and he delivers an engaging and thought-provoking performance as an expendable. He has had some relevant experience, though. After playing Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga and Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the guy should have the themes of mortality, immortality, and humanity on lock.

The Saddest Sight I Never Saw

The tableau was heartbreaking: a female cardinal lay still on the driveway up to our complex while a male hopped around her in what could only be described as distress. Our route took us the other way, but once we were home, we couldn't leave the birds there. "I don't want him to see her flattened, or worse, injured himself," Heidi said, and I agreed.

We gathered a dustpan, a plastic bag, and birdseed and then headed back to the scene on our mission of mercy to move her out of traffic. As we rounded the turn in the drive, however, we saw that the birds were gone!

"How?" asked Heidi.

"She was probably just enjoying a dust bath on the warm pavement," I guessed, "and he thought it had gone on long enough!"

One Hundred Eighty Degrees

Because the famous cherry blossoms are at their peak, we planned to shoot downtown as soon as school was out this afternoon. The day was overcast with the possibility of light showers, so we hoped the crowds might be lighter than usual. The traffic was not lighter than expected, however; even though it was not yet 3:30, the bridge was extremely congested, and as we inched along, I spotted the entire eastern seaboard of license plates. 

We lucked out when we got down there, though, and found parking right away, and entered the stream of fellow blossom watchers. Although there were many, many people circling the Tidal Basin, we could still walk, mostly, and the scene was postcard perfect: the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, and beautiful cherry trees in full bloom lining a Tidal Basin dotted with blue paddle boats.

As we were jostled about, I turned to Heidi and shrugged. "I guess it's good to come down here during the cherry blossoms every year, or so, to decide if it's worth the hassle," I said as I sidestepped to avoid photo bombing a family portrait.

She nodded. "What's the verdict?"

"Undecided," I sighed, stopping short to avoid running into a couple making out on the bridge. 

About halfway around, we looked into the oncoming stream and spotted a couple of familiar faces. One of the teachers from school and her husband had the same idea as we did, and we stopped to chat with them for a few minutes. "Don't you just love this?" our friend asked us. "All these people from all over the world speaking all these languages and we're all here for the same thing-- to enjoy these beautiful blossoms for the short time they last."

"Wow!" Heidi said. "You are so positive!" Then she laughed and added, "Things must look better coming from that direction!"

The Evolution of a Boob Tuber

Like many, my TV viewing habits have changed over the last decade or so. I grew up in the age of network television, where everyone had the same three choices of what to watch at any given time, and it seemed like most of us chose the same show. When I was very young, there weren't even any VCRs, so you watched what you watched and you missed what you missed until re-runs in the summer.

Over the years, television has evolved: first came cable channels, then the option to record shows, and finally, streaming shows on demand. Even so, for a while, my viewing habits were relatively conservative. I watched what was on or what I had chosen to record, usually week by week. I also focused primarily on new offerings, and it wasn't until the great shutdown of 2020 that binge-watching became a thing in our house.

But watching a whole show, even one with many seasons, all at once, quickly became our preference. Cliffhangers had no power over us anymore! We could find out right away what happened next, and the inconvenience of waiting for a week, or several months, or a year for new episodes caused us to avoid shows that were still in production.

Lately, though, that mindset has given way to a more hybrid approach, and there are actually several shows that we watch every week when they drop. My most recent favorite is Severance, which seems to be enjoying a moment. The last episode of Season 2 aired last week and left a lot of questions for faithful followers of the show. Since Season 3 isn't even in production yet, it's going to be a while until we get the answers.

Strangely enough? I'm kind of enjoying not knowing. I've taken the time to rewatch episodes and scenes, and there is a lot of fun speculation and cast commentary out there that offer new lenses through which to view the show. Slowing down and thinking about the writing and the acting has given me a greater appreciation for the entire production. 

And so my viewing habits are changing once more.

Sounding Board

Lucy and I ran into a neighbor and her dog a little while ago. As my big Lucy and her little Lucy sniffed each other to catch up, Betty and I had a few minutes to talk, too. "How do you like retirement so far?" she started. "Are you loving it or are you bored?"

"Um," I stalled before deciding to be honest. "I'm kind of bored. It's been a big adjustment."

Her face lit up. "I'm so glad to hear that! What a relief that someone else is feeling it too!"

We commiserated briefly about the high price of groceries, the uncertainty of social security, and the dearth of part-time employment and volunteer opportunities in our area. "I've seen a lot written lately about retirement," I told her. "Not surprisingly, we're not alone in our discontent."

She shrugged. "I can see that."

"In fact," I laughed, "Just yesterday I read that you should never retire thinking it will be like a vacation until you figure out a plan, because that won't work."

She rolled her eyes. "Who has time to figure out a plan while you're working?"

"I know, right?" I agreed.

"I know I need to move away from here," she sighed, "but I'm not sure where that would be."

"I feel the same way," I said.

"Although I do have a niece who lives in Kentucky. Her husband's family owns a huge thoroughbred horse farm, and they are very involved in racing. And bourbon," she added with a laugh. "I'm thinking I should look into relocating near them."

"That sounds pretty nice!" I replied.

"It's a red state, though," she frowned.

"Blue governor, though!" I commented.

"And I love him!" she said thoughtfully. "I really think I'm going to do some serious planning to move to Kentucky!" She turned to go. "Great talking to you!"

"See you again soon," I said, glad that at least one of us had a little more direction than before.