Capt. America and Aging Out
AML and I went to see Captain America: Brave New World last weekend. I honestly can’t say I enjoyed or didn’t enjoy it. I think I’ve seen almost all the Marvel and DC comic hero movies that have come out since Superman in 1978 and X-Men in 2000. I was a comic book kid, mostly into DC characters with an occasional foray into Marvel. So going to see Captain America:BNW was a given. But this time it was different, because if memory serves me right, this is the first movie I have seen in a movie theatre since the pandemic ended. The experience is not the same.
For one, it’s too loud. I like to believe I am self-aware enough to know part of this is me - as I age, being this overstimulated is annoying and uncomfortable. I prefer watching these movies now at home where I can turn on the closed captions and reduce the intensity of the volume. It does seem, however, that the point of these films is more to overwhelm the senses than anything else. It feels like I am the block that has to be busted.
Two, the entire genre seems to be getting stale. Every plot is about the world being on the brink of disaster. The heroes are loved, then unloved, then loved. Cap has identity issues. Young buck is eager to show his stuff. Nobody has time to eat, sleep, or take a shit. I’ve seen it all before. It’s all starting to feel overdone.
Three, being in a movie house is an alienating experience. It feels more like a mass-producing factory of some kind. Multiple screens, seats that recline and rock, outrageously priced and oversized snacks (I saw one family so loaded down with snacks they must have spent three times as much on the food as they did on the tickets). According to the pre-show infomercials, you are even able to have popcorn, soda and snacks delivered to your seat - you don’t even have to move your fat ass off the reclining seat to break a sweat walking to one of the 5 concession stands. I was surprised not to find an IV drip at my seat ready to inject me with the requisite amounts of salt, sugar, and fat. And of all the ironic touches of all, the walls were adorned with publicity still of movie stars that the kids and probably most of the adults in the place couldn’t name: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Jimmy Stewart, etc.
Four, every preview that was shown for upcoming movies (about 5, I believe) featured some mix of blood, guns, violent death, crashes, and sex. I believe it must now be against the law to make a movie which does not contain some mixture of three out of these five elements. So for me, there’s not much to look forward to.
If you happen to be under, say, 60, and you are reading this, I want you to understand one thing. This is not a rant against pop culture. This is a rant about getting older. The brutal truth about getting older is that you begin to age out of almost everything, and there is no longer very much to age in to. I am aging out of modern culture, and the reality is that there is only a past culture to which I can continue to relate; a world where movies were 50 cents, there was only one movie playing in the movie house (which might have a balcony), where plot, character, and story were more important than spectacle, and the seats were shitty and had gum on their undersides. It’s much better now for me to sit in my own recliner, pop my own popcorn, and tune in to Turner Classic Movies. I am not sure what will happen when TCM begins showing Superman I as a TCM classic.
Eddie Schneller's Wind Phone
In early November 2024, I received an email from an NYU journalism student named Olivia Green. While walking in Forest Park in central Queens, she had come across a wind phone dedicated to Eddie Schneller, a former student of mine who passed away in 2020. In her research she had come across this post I had written on his passing. She wanted to interview me to learn more about Eddie and to find out if I had any information as to who might have set up this wind phone. I consented to the interview. The audio file of that interview is included below. I invite you to give it a listen.
Eddie’s wind phone is one of only three in NYC. One is located on Staten Island. The other one is located in The Ramble in Central Park. This web site will give you more information about wind phones, and includes a map of all the known windphones worldwide. Olivia never did discover who set up Eddie’s windphone, so if, after reading this post or listening to this audio story, you might provide us with any further information concerning the windphone, please let me know. My email is on my bio page. If you happen to decide to visit it, I would appreciate a picture of it to accompany this post. If you should need to make use of it, I’m sure Eddie would be honored. Thanks so much.
UPDATE 2/21/25. Added photos of Eddie’s windphone discovered at mywindphone.com.
Out sightseeing in the Catalina Mountains east of Tucson. Drove the Catalina Highway. 2200’ to 8000’ elevation change. From 73 degrees to 46 degrees and back. Wild ride. #rivertao
Out Where I Didn't Belong
Just came back from seeing Captain America: Brave New World. I have…thoughts. But first I have to get over the shellshock.
Went to a community theatre production of Much Ado About Nothing last night. Mostly weak performances, but some interesting takes on and edits of the script. Not all bad, but not terribly good. I wish community theatre could be better in this country.
Had one of the best sleeps I’ve had in the past week. I discovered how to open the window in the bedroom. I think it made a great deal of difference to have fresh air through the night.
On Snowbirding Part 2
That was as satisfying a football beatdown as I’ve ever seen. And if it’s any consolation to Bills fans, they would have lost to the Eagles as well.
Not very invested in this Superbowl, but will watch. Rooting for the Eagles against the Kansas City Referees. No interest in the halftime show. The First Felon will find some way to ruin the experience.
On Snowbirding Part 1
Friday Feb. 7, 2025
Today’s walk: 1.6 mi., weather 75°, sunny. My ankle seems to have come around after a few days' rest. I decided to take the long grade uphill route just to get a little extra something into the walk. Don’t be too impressed though because the elevation gain is only 60'.
I’ve kept busy these past few days doing busywork. I think the worst habit I have is dawdling away the morning. Sometimes I’m not ready to get anything done until about 11AM or so, and then I wonder why the day is so short. Yesterday I slept in until 9 AM - a little unusual, but it’s not like I get up at 7 AM or so on a regular basis. Coffee, a walk, skimming the news/email, shower and breakfast seem to take up a good chunk of the morning.
Catching up
Let’s do a little catch-up here now that the redesign is complete. I did go for a walk on Monday of only 1.2 miles, but late yesterday and today something in my left ankle did not feel right, and putting weight and pressure on it causes some pain and limping. So I took today off to give it some rest. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and if it’s in shape for a stroll.
The weather here has turned gorgeous - Yesterday and today it hit 82° for a high. Blue skies, no clouds. One thing I find I have to adapt myself to is how fast things can cool down. With no clouds there is nothing to retain the heat of the day and it can cool down pretty quickly. Back home it’s - well, I don’t want to talk about it. Cold. Snow. Gray.