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I went for a long drive and back again to see Tom and Luana. He is an "and" now. They're in the throes of moving into a new house, which is an ancient one remodeled. They let me sleep in a room to myself on top of a futon and cozy in the new sleeping bag I bought for Tom as my "groom's honor" gift to the groom. Among the novelties of their new home is the automatic litter box. A contraption that is part robot and part stinky zen garden, it has a motion detector that rakes the litter automatically after kitty departs. We could hear the whirring of the little engine and observe a cat circling in trepidation. I wonder if the immediacy of the whirring motor following the cat's exit will have any kind of behavior-shaping effects?I left for Portland 8pm Friday night, after work. Darkness and rain. Taillights blurring and sharpening with each swipe of the wipers; headlights across the barrier a constant provocation of furled brows. I had forgotten that giant trucks rule the interstate and that black wet nights increase the fright. So powerful are they that their size conjures gusts of wind to push the rest of us into dippy swerves. Waves of water kicked up from waist-high wheels. One almost feels the need for goggles and gloves. We caught a matinee showing of The Matrix. I liked the film. Liked the saturated colors and camera angles. Special effects were spectacular, of course. I do like the trend to slow and quicken film speed, though it has to be done well; I liked the effect of it in this film. The plot was interesting and there were some themes worthy of further thought, but that doesn't make the film for me. Bottom line is that this is an action film more than a science fiction one. It is big studio to boot, so there were some hokey lines and gratuitous shots of Keanu's body in motion. But I like action (like the body) and am easily awed by stunning visual display. I rushed back to Seattle early this evening to attend a poetry reading by Heather McHugh. Her energy is nothing short of captivating. Quick and witty -- relentlessly so. It's a fun exercise to try to keep up with her mind, roll with it. Catch the fastball humor with unrestrained laughter as expertly as occupying silent melancholy with her. Brilliance. Lots of other brilliant poets at the Seattle Poetry Festival tonight, reading or singing, all of them acting. I enjoyed the crowd, enjoyed the man who approached me with the opener, "So what can you tell me about poetry?" |
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