Jason Bourne: a movie review

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Jason Bourne, movie, movie review, postaday2016

I have loved Jason Bourne since I first cracked open Robert Ludlum’s book back when I was a teenager. I remember the addicting thrill of suspense, I was hooked on the saga and the character’s journey through its web of intrigue and conspiracy theories. I even remember watching Richard Chamberlain playing Jason Bourne in a made for t.v movie costarring Jacklyn Smith as Marie. For me, Jason Bourne was even more thrilling than James Bond, he was grittier and more resourceful because he was battling not just his handlers, but at times even himself.

Which brings me to this latest installment, we have now journeyed with Matt Damon as Jason Bourne for several years and his interpretation of Jason Bourne, I think, captures who Jason Bourne should be; at this point in the saga, Jason Bourne should be emotionally and mentally tired and he definitely looked it in the movie which suited the story.

The themes were trust, truth, patriotism, freedom, privacy and what does it mean when you ask yourself “who am I?”. That is the quintessential question throughout the Bourne saga, “Who is Jason Bourne” and at the end of the movie, we feel a little closer to the answer of that question.

The action sequences were riveting, the locations used in the movie were as important as the characters and were well used to push the story forward. Las Vegas got partially blown up on the strip which was different, they did it old school with actual cars being thrown around left and right, very exciting to watch. Old school was another theme because part of what we like about Jason Bourne is that he is an all in kind of fighter, he uses everything and anything not bolted down as a weapon and to his advantage in a fight scene.

They set it up for another film, I just don’t know if Matt Damon will come back, he is 45 years old. At one point I would bet he must be thinking “I’m too old for this $^#@”, but I hope he comes back for another one, he feels like an old friend at this point.

A view of Jack’s kingdom

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Jack, kingdom, postaday2016

I hunkered down real low to take pictures of Jack’s kingdom, to get a better perspective of how he saw his world. His world looks pretty big from way down there, full of hidden pathways and spots to ferret out unsuspecting prey. I found a few dead voles and two bird carcasses which I cleaned up, Jack is merciless.

I only wish Jack didn’t show Stanley all of his tricks, Jack’s tiny holes have been dug into craters by Stanley, the tiny scratching at the honeysuckle’s roots turns into deep gouges and chunks casually ripped away, thank you Stanley. Jack’s nimble and spry leaping to and fro amongst the hosta, translates into crushed and trampled plants again thank you Stanley.

We had had big dogs, Marshall and Rex, so I was used to having the backyard filled with largish droppings and destroyed furniture inside the house, but I wasn’t prepared for the relandscaping my garden has undergone. It’s always an adventure with Jack and Stanley. Lulu stays above the fray, her contributions are the well worn paths along the fence’s perimeter. I wonder if our three dogs think they have it pretty good, I would love to know what they think of their lives with us. There is a reason why movies like “The Secret Lives of Pets” is making a killing at the box office, everyone is curious about that question.

Oregano makes a pretty flower

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azalea, patience, postaday2016

I didn’t know the oregano herb had such cute little flowers, to be honest I had forgotten all about it. Last year I had planted my oregano plant in between two lilies with Black-eyed Susans popping up all around, so I completely forgot about it this year, that is until I noticed flowers that I had never had seen before in that spot. I had a hard time getting the flowers in focus with the other flowers in the background, I lucked out with the closeup however.

My azalea, the one I was mourning, albeit prematurely, came back pretty nicely. It gave me two flowers even though its leaves were missing, it looked so pitiful back in the spring, now it looks much healthier. My other azalea is doing better but it hasn’t recovered as beautifully as this one.

Patience is a constant when it comes to gardening, it also goes a long way in life.

Wildflowers during a drought

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postaday2016, wild flowers

I have been writing about my decision to leave my garden to its own devices and part of that was to accept “weeds” and discover the beauty of previously unknown wild flowers. These wild flowers must have always been here, but in my zeal to control and sculpt my garden, I was unfortunately pulling out these local beauties. What an inexpensive discovery! 

As I was walking back from the pool earlier this morning, crunching down on the straw which used to be grass, I realized how much money and worry I had saved myself by not buying anything from the nursery this year. If I had done this year what I did all of the years previously, I would have been a slave to the garden, all new plants are extremely susceptible to drought and this one is pretty rough. My perennials have been established for many years, their roots are long so they are withstanding this stressful growing season, any new plants would have probably died by now and my heart would have been sad with disappointment.  This is turning out to be a cool experiment.

Floral therapy

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drought, plants, postaday2016

Today I am burying my face, not in the sand, but in my flowers. We may be experiencing drought conditions in Western Massachusetts, but my longstanding buddies are standing tall. I’m pretty sure my shade trees are responsible for their healthy demeanor. This year’s drought is seriously harming our local farmers, their corn and tomato crops are suffering, I hope our rain situation turns around sometime soon, if only for their sakes.

Our backyard “lawn” hasn’t done as well, it has become an interesting beige color, between the sun and the dogs, it hasn’t had a prayer. I’m sure next year’s grass will come in ready to be green in spite of being tortured this summer. 

The results are in…

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cancer diagnosis, postaday2016

I still need to keep my spirits up because Doctor Sean called me with the results and it turns out that I do have lung cancer. I didn’t realize how much I was subconsciously hoping all this hoopla was simply a cyst gone crazy, I am prone to cysts so I was hoping, oh well it’s not a cyst.

As I think back to the phone call, I know just how much I was hoping for a different outcome because my stomach sank and my brain drained free of logical thought, emotion and dread filled my head and body at the same time, making me unable to ask intelligent questions. I know this because I called my mother immediately afterwards and she was asking me reasonable questions which I couldn’t answer because my mind had drawn a blank when I heard the word cancer.

Thursday I have an appointment with Doctor Sean and I am going armed with a list of questions, first and foremost is this related to my squamous cell esophageal carcinoma and depending on that answer, my questions will stem from whichever direction that answer leads us.

I am really trying to keep my chin up, I hate the cancer word, it has too much power, I know I will be fine, but this still feels too soon. I need a break.

Determined to keep my spirits up

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perennials, postaday2016, trampling

As of right now, I haven’t heard anything about my biopsy, so I am distracting myself by picking pretty pictures to write about, I forget the name of the fuzzy purple spikes in the picture above, but I love their uniqueness. They have unfortunately been trampled upon by the galumphagus Stanley, they are just half as grand as last year. On the step right above these pretty purple spikes, you’ll see my white upright Phlox, another victim of Stanley’s stomping, following his big brother Jack as Jack sniffs out imaginary prey. Ugh 😦

On the brighter side, not everything has been trampled over or stomped on, there are some who have managed to escape all of the mayhem that a 100+ lb puppy can inflict.

Star Trek Beyond: a movie review

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movie, postaday2016, review, Star Trek Beyond

They broke another ship, this isn’t a spoiler, they have been showing the previews and the trailers for weeks, but I couldn’t help but think “I can’t believe they broke another ship, what is it, the fourth Enterprise to go up in smoke?” Anyway, I’m a huge Star Trek fan, so I was excited no matter what they broke.

Simon Peg was the co-writer of this sortie and I have to say, I think he did a very good job, he made me think of many things in the Gene Roddenberry universe and he held true to the philosophy. There were new characters, friend and foe and they fit in the Star Trek universe seamlessly.

The chemistry between the crew is part of the franchise’s charm, I laughed out loud quite a few times thanks to Bones. Scottie gave me a few laughs as well, with all of the action, I needed those little comic breaks.

I have one critique if you can believe it, I found the action sequences too dizzying when the shots were tight and up close, the effects were much better when the camera panned out and gave the audience some distance. The visuals of the enemy’s technology was beautiful and I found it enhanced when we were given the panoramic view.

The set designers, the costume designers and everyone involved creatively, did an amazing job, their imaginations are extraordinary. When I see imaginary universes like this, I am in awe because I know I don’t have that gift.

I was excited for this movie and I am glad I went to see it on the big screen. 

Live long and prosper.

Against the odds

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annuals, dianthus, postaday2016

I always delight in finding surprises guests in my planters, the marigolds shocked me because they are annuals from last year, popping up this year in the same planter as last year is very cool in my book. The tiny dianthus sprouting defiantly despite the lack of water and high heat impresses me to no end. Whenever I get sad or stressed, finding these tiny gems turns my day and outlook around, thank goodness for Mother Nature, she never ceases to amaze me.

Purple and yellow theme

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plants, postaday2016, seeds

I remember back in high school, a classmate of mine, an art student, told me that yellow and purple worked really well together. Back then I couldn’t see the combination working when it came to choosing outfits, but fast forward 30 odd years and I see how beautiful the two colors are together in my garden. I don’t think I purposely planted the purples and yellows side by side, some of the pairings came about by happenstance, a wind blown seed here or a critter burying a seed there.

The Black-eyed Susans that pop up where they feel like, which I don’t mind in the least,  seem to be drawn to my purple perennials. The wild flowers alternating between purple and yellow, depending where you look, seem to gravitate towards the yellow perennials if they are purple and vice-versa, a nice balance in the color schematic of Mother Nature’s palette.