Weekly Log
Kitchen update: some progress has been made since the last update, but not as much as we were hoping. Our nemesis, the countertop, is, as of Thursday, fabricated, installed, and quietly setting. The range was also delivered on Friday, which means one side of the kitchen is starting to look like an actual kitchen. Some setbacks to report as well: the hood and the dishwasher should be installed by now and neither of them are. But with the main blocker gone, we are 🤞 that significant progress will be made over the next five days. Backsplash, shelves, fixtures and all remaining appliances are scheduled to be done in the coming week.
With a little bit of luck, the floor might be finished and stained by Friday, which means we would be in a position to move back late in the next weekend.
Brand new human update: still cozy and looking healthy. It’s going to be a race to the finish between him and the kitchen. We finally landed on a name and just managed to clip in the car seat, and in the process of doing that realized that car seats are really fucking big. We’re in for a cozy couple of years should we decide to stick with our worthy Prius C.
Our weekends continue to be mostly chill, and we’re staying home more often than not on weekdays. I feel like we’ve been consuming more media over the past couple of weeks than ever before:
- The Worst Person in the World • The narrative structure of the movie made for a nice change of pace compared to the standard thing you get from most american dramas. I came out of it relaxed and a bit nostalgic to see more of the kind of quiet, introspective European productions that seldom make it across the pond.
- Festen (a.k.a The Celebration) • This movie has been a favorite of mine since its release in the mid-90’s. We’d talked for years about watching it together and finally got it done. One of the few Dogme movies ever made, it’s as much about the (tragic) plot than it is about a distabilizing sensory experience.
- Coda • What better metaphor for teenage-hood than living in a world where no one in your family speaks your language? In many ways, this movie reminded me of Juno: a young girl in not-urban-but-not-so-rural America, with a unique personal struggle that she feels she must deal with it on her own. All in all, a gentle coming of age movie that doesn’t go too far into the corny territory, and an respectful foray into the culture and hardships of deaf people. A remarkable performance by Emilia Jones, who learned sign language, singing and a convincing New England accent just for this role.
- Succession • We somehow missed the Succession train when it left the station three years ago and just recently caught up with most of the first season. Great production value overall and a gripping plot.
- School of Chocolate • This has been a personal binge of mine — I love the friendly food competition reality TV genre and this one hits exactly right. Amaury Guichon is a master of his craft and doesn’t hold his punches but also holds himself accountable for the growth of the candidates.
- Captain Fantastic • This was a comfort watch (we’d seen the movie before and loved it), but an especially meaningful one in light of our upcoming brand new human. Though we’re not planning to abandon civilization anytime soon, there’s an alluring aspect to the blend of intellectual and physical lifestyle that is depicted in the film.
The war in Ukraine has been taking ugly turn after ugly turn. Massacres of civilians, children, rapes, summary executions are all reported on a daily basis now — all of which is coming in addition to massive, consistent shelling of the entire country. Ukrainians are putting up a fight, but the reluctance of western democracies to directly involve themselves in this conflict is nothing short of appalling.
In just under 6 weeks, the Russian army has torn up countless lives and places; over 4 million people are on the path to exile. Many politicians are openly pushing Russian talking points and revealing themselves as Putin’s sock puppets — not the last of whom Marine Le Pen, who just clinched second place in the first round of the French presidential election with nearly 25% of the vote.
Stateside, the Republicans are pushing their latest anti-trans moral panic down everyone’s throat. The confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson as a supreme court justice is historic, yet the hearings consisted of one shitty bait after another, with both sides seeking to get only a palatable soundbite to feed to their base. The outcome is good, but what a disgrace this was to witness. Along with the nationwide push for backwards policies on abortion, the right is going back to its basics and showing that, no, it’s still not over the 2014 decision to legalize same-sex marriage.