My lovely bride and I watched the Bond movie "Casino Royale" last night. In general, I am not much a fan of Bond movies, or action movies in general. The onslaught of sound and fury that marks those movies disturbs some deep part of me.
Casino Royale was, however, an excellent movie in my opinion. It does what other action movies should, but don't: take time away from the bombast to provide some quiet character development. It is from these quiet times that tension is born. The high-stakes poker game in Casino Royale was one of the best tension sequences I've seen in years ... and it was done in a very quiet and understated way.
James Bond as a goofy cartoon character was amusing but does not make great cinema. James Bond as a scarred human hiding behind a tough veneer is compelling.
If you've not yet seen that movie, I'd recommend it.
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Sorry to hear about K's half-sister phoning for rescue. From such people as her mother come the wreckage of many lives. My life is in many ways broken by the vestiges of my mother, who is a deeply flawed person. K is very fortunate that she has you to be her anchor point. I did not have that. It is very sad to think of E desperately treading water in the storm-tossed sea that is life with A.
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A friend said about my daughters mother "It could be that the purpose of her life is only to serve as a warning to others".
A warning to what effect, for for what purpose? As someone to avoid? Or someone to avoid being like? An "anti-pattern," in the parlance of our brethren over in services? :-)
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I have read news accounts of late that some of this "carbon offsetting" is turning out to be a bit of a scam ... money is paid but nothing is really done with it. It seems this whole notion of "carbon neutrality" is more a tool to offset guilt -- or provide a platform for moral preening -- than to really address the issue. No surprise there.
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