What I saw at the Festival du nouveau cinema:

Unmade Beds

Alexis Dos Santos/ United Kingdom/2009 /92 min./English, French, Spanish

An Education

Lone Scherfig/ United Kingdom/2009/ 95 min./ English

Katalin Varga

Peter Strickland/ Romania, United Kingdom, Hungary/ 2009/ 82 min./ Romanian, Hungarian (s.t.English)

Precious

Lee Daniels/ USA/2008/105 min. /English

Barbe Bleue/Bluebeard

Catherine Breillat/France/2009/80 min / French (s.t.English)

Still Walking

Hirokazu Kore-Eda /Japon /2008 /115 min /Japanese (S.T. English)

August 20-27, 2009

The Clark Institute

Williamstown, MA

I had promised my mother that I would take her on a trip after I retired. At first we planned to go to Washington DC and visit my sister in Philadelphia along the way. However, it's been many years since I drove longer than three hours and I realized I needed to start with a closer destination. My mother had wanted to visit the Clark Institute for years but her husband would not take her. So Williamstown MA, five hours from her town, seemed ideal.

I found a cozy room at The Maples Terrace. It was a short drive to The Clark (http://www.clarkart.edu/), restaurants and the Williams College Museum of Art (http://www.wcma.org/).

We arrived in Williamstown on Monday, checked into our B&B, then perused a binder of menus before deciding on Hobson's Choice for dinner.

On Tuesday we were at The Clark at 10:30am and left at 5:30pm: seven hours later! There were so many wonderful paintings and objects, as well as a special exhibition on Georgia O'Keefe and Arthur Dove. Among the American paintings were many by Winslow Homer and a few by Edward Hopper. One of my favorite paintings in the permanent collection was: Smoke of Ambergris by John Singer Sargent.

On Wednesday we visited the Williams College Museum of Art and were very pleased with the extent and variety it collection. There was even a wonderful special exhibition of Maurice Prendergast in Italy!

Do not miss either of these museums if you are in the Williamstown, Massachusetts area.

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York is showing 130 of O'Keefe's abstract works until January 17, 2010.
http://whitney.org/www/exhibition/okeeffe.jsp

Just for Laughs Comedy Festival July 23, 2009
"EAT MY SHORTS" Short films
Acting for the Camera
Justin Nowell/USA
Pal/Secam
Dmitry Povolotsky/Russia
Instead of Abracadabra
Patrick Eklund/Sweden
Naglin/The Nail
Benedikt Erlingsson/Norway
OK, Now What?
Jeff Bruyère/Canada
One of Those Days
Hattie Dalton/UK
One Thousand Characters SMSing
Ignacia Ferras/Denmark
Santa: The Fascist Years
Bill Plympton/USA
The Deposition of Lou Bagetta
Tommy Smeltzer/USA
Touching The Stairs
Michael Wright/UK

NYC: March 6-12

Chattauqua! at PS122 http://www.ps122.org/performances/chautauqua.html
Now and at the Hour http://www.frigidnewyork.info/shows03/Nowand.html
Heather Nova at Joe's Pub http://www.heathernova.com/
http://www.joespub.com/
Gomorrah at IFC http://www.ifccenter.com/film?filmid=66355
This Beautiful City at Vineyard Theater http://www.thecivilians.org/thisbeautifulcity.html

March 01,2009

New Books on my shelf:

• The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
  
• Remembering the Bones by Frances Itani
• The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie
• The Counterlife by Philip Roth
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
• Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin
• The Secret of Scent by Luca Turin
  

February 28, 2009

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2009
http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-oscarnominated-short-films-2009,23758/

At Cinema du Parc

Best Animated Short Nominees:

LAVATORY--LOVESTORY

Russia 2007. Dir.: Konstantin Bronzit, 10 min.

A lonely toilet attendant attempts to uncover the identity of her secret admirer.

LA MAISON EN PETITES CUBES (PIECES OF LOVE, VOL.1)

Japan 2008. Dir.:Kunio Kato 12 minutes

An old man battles to save his house in an attempt to be the rising tide.

OKTAPODI

France 2007. Dir.: Julien Bocabeille, et al. 3 min.

Two Octopi fight for their lives in a comical secape through the streets of a small Greek village.

THIS WAY UP

UK 2008. Dir.: Smith & Foulkes. 9 min.

Laying the dead to rest has never been so much trouble.

PRESTO

USA 2008. Dir.: Doug Sweetland. 5 min.

A stage magician's rabbit gets into a magical onstage brawl against his neglectful guardian with two magic hats.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT NOMINEES:

AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)

Germany, Switzerland. 2007. Dir.: Reto Caffi. 30 min.

A department store security guard is secretly infatuated with a clerk in the store's bookshop. When he witnesses a love rival being attacked on a train, he abamdons him, a decision that carries with it devastating consequences.

GRISEN (THE PIG)

Denmark. 2008. Dir.: Dorte Hogh. 22 min.

When Asbjorn is admitted to hospital, he finds comfort in a painting of a whimsical pig--until it is removed at the request of another patient.

MANON SUR LE BITUME (MANON ON THE ASPHALT)

France. 2007. Dir.: Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont. 15 min.

What really flashes before your eyes at the end? It's a lovely spring day and Manon is on her way to a rendezvous with her boyfriend when an unexpected bump in the road makes her see life from an entirely fresh perspective.

NEW BOY

Ireland. 2007. Sir.: Steph Green. 11 min.

Based on a Roddy Doyle short story, a young African immigrant struggles to find a place for himself during his first day at an Irish school.

SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)

Germany. 2007. Dir.: Jochen ALexander Freydank. 14 min.

Germany 1942, a mother convinces her son that the Jewish neighbors are going on a journey to "Toyland".

Books I read over my Christmas vacation: 

Mr. Pip by Lloyd Jones

The Outlander by Gil Anderson

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 

The Pest House by Jim Crace

The Inner Circle by T.C. Boyle

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Get a Life! by WIlliam Shatner

Entry #19

It was nearly one year ago that I last posted an entry here. I was in Playa del Carmen with Gordon, staying in a Las Palmas condo on calle 28 and enjoying every day. I think that's why I was so happy last year; I was really living in the moment. I woke up every day happy, nothing could spoil my mood. When I described how I felt I think I used the word "ecstatic" frequently.

After 6 weeks in PDC, I returned to Montreal on January 10, 2006 and had two weeks to get ready for the next stage of my year off: 6 weeks in Asia with my daughter Z. We left Montreal on January 30 and our first stop was Tokyo to visit my sister. She and her family had moved there in August 2005 for her husband's work. Annie was a wonderful host: she took us out every day to see something special.

In her five months there, she learned to navigate the complex subway and rail systems and scouted out the best places to take us when we finally arrived. A few of the highlights: the Fish Market, Harajuku, an Onsen near the waterfront, Chinatown in Yokohama, Asukaska Temple, and a sushi restaurants with a conveyor belt. There was so much more! Two weeks was not enough time to see everything we wanted to, but it was a complete introduction.


From Tokyo we flew to Bangkok, where in a few days we were to join a tour that would take us to sights within a couple of hours around Bangkok before we'd fly together to ChiangMai for 6 nights. We saw everything in Bangkok that we missed the first time Z and I were there in March 2000. ChiangMai was wonderful. First because it was a small city compared to the megalopolis of Bangkok, it was easy to get around. Second, It was an important center for crafts and textiles and the markets were filled with interesting things. The Orchid Hotel was central and we were able to explore a lot on our own even at night. It would be a wonderful place to spend a month, take a cooking course or a massage course. We spent hours exploring the Night Market and the Sunday Walking Street.

When we returned to Bangkok we explored a little more on our own. We were able to fit in a visit to Chatuchak Market-- the largest market I have ever experienced! It takes over a city park on Sundays and EVERYTHING is sold there, even animals. The things we wanted to buy would just not fit in our suitcases, so we just looked but it was wonderful and wild and CROWDED.

Our next stop was Hanoi, Vietnam. We had prepaid another tour through Collette Tours and we hoped that we would be part of a group as nice as the one we had traveled with in Thailand. However, we ended up with a private tour. We had a guide and a private car with a driver. That was the good part. We took this tour primarily because of the hotel--The Hanoi Hilton which was right in the center of the city's historical district and within walking distance of everything. The local tour company Collette hired switched our hotel at the last minute and put us up at a Sheraton on the outskirts with a view of the river and the rice fields! In addition, I had eaten something at the Sunday Walking Street market in ChiangMai and was experiencing its very negative effects. The day our guide took us to spectacular Ha Long Bay, I was so sick I could only eat a little rice and not a morsel of the 13 course meal that was served to us on our private cruise of the bay. I spent the next day in bed while Z had to argue with the driver who insisted on taking her on a tour of the pottery villages which she had zero interest to see. She finally convinced the driver that she and the guide would stay close to the hotel because I was so sick. That way she was able to shop in Hanoi and take photos of interesting city scenes/ architecture. One of the highlights of the city was Ho Chi Minh's home, which we visited after we saw his preserved body in the mausoleum. He is still very revered by the Vietnamese. So, overall we found Hanoi grey and wet, and disappointing in several ways. Maybe because I was ill, or maybe because the people are just not as warm as the Thais, I don't think I will return to the north of Vietnam. We did however, look forward to returning to Thailand.

We returned to Bangkok for two more nights and then we were off again to Koh Samui for the final leg of our Asian trip. Our hotel was at the eastern end of a long bay. We could walk on the beach from our hotel to the farthest end of the town. A wonderful hot/cold buffet breakfast was included and this was enough until dinner which we ate either in town or on the beach. Grilled tuna steak with salads and baked potato cost less than $5. Internet was readily available and cheap. Some of the best deals were in massages, manicures, pedicures and spa treatments.
The only thing that was odd about our hotel was the tidal action. At low tide in front of our hotel but not anywhere else on the bay, the waves withdrew so much that you had to walk out very far before the water got to your waist.

The airport on Koh Samui is completely tropical: open air waiting areas & cafe, thatched covered roofs and beautiful flowering plants everywhere. It provided a perfect introduction and final impression to a relaxing week in Southern Thailand.

The flight home was long with a six hour wait in Bangkok for our flight to Tokyo, then a 4 hour layover in Tokyo waiting for our flight to DC. It would have been a 5 hour wait for our flight to Montreal if we had not been able to get seats on an earlier flight. Once home it was wonderful to sleep in our own beds again. We were back in Montreal in time to celebrate my birthday in the middle of March. I had two months to recover before the next stage of the sabbatical began: a month in the UK.

Entry #18

Playa del Carmen
December 21 to 

January 14

The condo was comfortable (great bed!) and well equipped. The comments of previous guests helped us discover a few new restaurants—(this is our 4th visit to PDC)-- like El Baretto at the corner of 26th and 5th. The pasta was excellent and the portions were enough for two. We enjoyed breakfast and dinner at Sazon also just down the street on 5th. I think their breakfast was the best of all. Sazon had very tasty and generous fish tacos and their enchiladas mole con pollo were delicious. We also had a good breakfast at El Cuevo del Chango after an early morning at the beach.

We especially enjoyed Café Corazon, where the owner Alison was very hospitable. She has the BEST coffee (from Chiapas) and a free wireless internet connection. She also has daily newspapers, current magazines and a lending book collection.
Other restaurants we liked:
Pizza Renzo—at 10 pesos per slice- tasty and a great deal too.
Sushi Tlan (next to Café Corazon)
Maktub across from Café Corazon—Dinner #1 was a great deal: 2 chicken brochettes, 1 appetizer of your choice and mint tea or coffee for 95 pesos!
Babes2 was almost as good as the original on 10th street, but some portions were half the size (like chicken satay) for the same price. Everything was delicious.

The noise level in these restaurants on 5th between calles 28 & 30 was often unpleasant because each establishment tried to drown out its neighbor’s sound system creating only cacophony. Playa del Carmen is certainly not the place to go for peace and quiet!
The condo balcony and the roof were two places that did offer some rest.

Our strategy to deal with the holiday week crush at the beach was to get up around 6:45 and be at Mamitas by 8am. Although, on Dec. 30th we were running late and by 8:20 all the chairs/palapas were taken except for the back row! The rooftop pool is a great escape from the mob scene at Mamitas.

As for trips—
We went to Tulum for three nights, staying at Posada Magherita in one of its 6 rooms—Heaven with Italian food! For a day trip we enjoy going to El Paraiso Beach Club (heaven again!) about 1 km south of the Tulum ruins. Prices are similar to Mamitas and there is a bar/ restaurant. Beautiful beach with few people. (**Not Anymore! In Dec.06 it was rechristened as Nuddy Beach Club and it was crowded with music playing all day. We left to find an oasis of calm not too far away from the kite-boarding, boozing hordes.)

There is also snorkeling in Akumal or Half-Moon Bays. Go via bus or collectivo, then taxi or walk from 307 to the beach about 2km. Turtle Bay Café, Lol-Ha or Cuervo del Pescador are all good bets for lunch.
We took a day trip with PlayaInfo to the Mayan ruins at Ek Balam. There 

was also a stop at a cenote--Ik-Kil—and lunch in Valladolid. The cenote was really beautiful! The water was much warmer than I expected. It was quite far to go but worth it.

Guadaloupe the housekeeper has taken excellent care of the condo (and us) and Jose the building manager has been very helpful—always there if we needed anything.

There are many places to go in the neighborhood for internet access–the best for price and comfort was Café Corazon—WiFi was free with the purchase of great coffee, desserts, paninis. Next would be Y Tu Café Tambien on 20th just above 5th: 18 pesos/hour. The Point is most expensive (24 pesos/hour) and most crowded, but it is convenient at off hours.

We had a great holiday here, but we hope that not too much more of paradise gets paved over! We did enjoy the birdsongs coming from Hotel LunaBlue's garden, and the crying cats. That big ginger one can almost talk!

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