Lost Aussie on the loose

Looking Back A Little

Hard to believe that this time last year I was tripping around Venice (in the freezing cold) snapping fabulous pictures of the costumes and scenery that abounded during Carnivale.

I fell in love with the country, the people, the food, the wine .....and most of all with my camera.  I'd hoped to go back again this year but as the worm turns, it was not to be and so I will hope that perhaps things will shake out a bit differently for next year.  I'll wish at least.

Aside from more packing and sorting chores this weekend I managed two trips to the movies, to see Identity Thief and Quartet.  One was sheer amusement and predictable.  The other was a delight in dramatic character portrayal and left you believing you had been there in the moment and not at the movies at all.  Mind you I am a sucker for anything with Billy Connolly or Maggie Smith in the cast!

So the latter movie, whilst perhaps not the usual mind numbing commercial US fare, was definitely the better choice!!  And highly recommended.

 

The Calm Before The Storm

Back on Long Island and getting ready to batten down the hatches in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy which according to all weather reports is going to be a doozy!

After a trip to the grocery store to stock up on appropriate supplies a long walk in the fresh air seemed like a good idea, exploring the fall colors and beauty of Bayard Cutting Arboretum.  A truly splendid spot and one that in a day or so's time might well look totally different and will no doubt suffer some flooding from storm surge as it sits right on the river, adjacent to the coast.

The trees have magically turned color in the week that I have been gone and are truly a magnificent sight. Luckily there were still a few blooms to be found here and there to attract the locals....

I capped the day off with a trip to the movies to see Cloud Atlas which was thoroughly compelling and quite the visual, as well as intellectual feast.  If you can bear to sit yourself down in a movie theatre for 3 good hours, then I highly recommend it!

Men In Black Three (nearly) in my Backyard!

Inbetween chores and dinner out, we skipped off today to see Men In Black Three 3D - which was nothing less than awesome.  The story and visual effects (enhanced by the 3D viewing) is just great escapist fare.

So what does a beach picture have to do with the movie?

Well, about a year ago this month, we were walking along Robert Moses Beach, not too far from my doorstep, when we noticed that one of the big parking fields had been blocked off and was full of movie set trailers and paraphernalia.  We even glimpsed a tall dark man and a small child wandering around on the beach side of the lot....??? 

Curious about what was going on, once home we "googled" the beach and movie thing and discovered that we had been walking by the set for the then in production and not released MIB3!  How fun!

So it was with great curiosity that we watched the movie today to determine just when and where our beach appeared.... and appear it did.  Probably not recognizable to most, but there it was, portrayed in the scenes that relate to Florida and Cape Canaveral .... the weird bunker door, nets on the beach and various other spot-able bits that had our heads scratching on the day we walked past.

Mystery solved and kind of nice that our local park and beach made it into the movies!

Oh and MIB3?  5 stars for sure!  And yes James..... I cried at the end.  Go figure!

The Help and The Rain

The last time I was home in Australia my Mother presented me with a gently worn copy of a book that she said "I must read". Partly because I lived in the US and also because she knew that I had good friends who lived in the "South".  She said it was great.

Initially I was not so enthusiastic about reading the book, as for the most part I confine my reading to "Who Dunnit's", Crime and Espionage style books and seldom read any other sort of contemporary writing, non-fiction or otherwise.

Anyway, as long-haul journeys would have it, my return to the US between Dubai and New York saw me short of something to read so I hauled out from the hand luggage the one that Mum had passed on.

To say that I was instantly captivated would be an understatement.  I knew a little of the social issues that faced America in the 1960's but like many others who have now read the novel, never really understood many of the intimate problems that were faced by the people at that time (on either side of the fence).
The book was devoured by the time I reached New York and has since been passed along to others to read too.

Anyway, today I went to see the much anticipated movie.  As with most book adaptations I was a little trepidatious about how it might work but my concerns were totally unfounded.
This was a very well executed adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's book, with the characters, atmosphere and history portrayed in a heart wrenchingly splendid way.  If one or several of these ladies does not garner an Academy Award for their performance I will be most surprised for it would be well deserved.

So my recommendation is buy the book AND see the movie.  You will not be disappointed.  There are many lessons to be learned, whether you lived in the US in the 1960's, now or elsewhere.

And ....

In case you are interested ... we had 7 inches of rain here today.  I think "driving" to the movies was a bit of a stretch, it was more like SURFING down the highway and we've pumped the swimming pool out twice.

I sure as heck wished I had a rainwater tank.