Obscure-Thought

 Some things have gotten harder since the pandemic started. Going to the grocery store, traveling, seeing friends, and the latter. No one feels completely safe as they used to in school, at work, or in line waiting. The air seems to pulsate with the question, "will this trip get me sick, is this person vaccinated, I don't feel safe." Sometimes we don't even feel safe in our homes, no matter how much we sanitize, test ourselves, and clean. I gained weight during the pandemic, my usual walks became stifled by masks, I went less into the city, and less on long strolls, and bike rides through my neighborhood. Now people think the pandemic is over, and for many it is. I'm triple vaccinated, but I know I can still get sick if I'm not careful.  Recently I reconnected with an old friend, someone I had not seen since the start of the pandemic, 3 years it feels like only a few months sometimes. We decided to go see a movie and decided upon Black Panther, Wakanda Forever

 Is it just me or are films duller than they used to be?  I'm of course not saying all films, oh no; but certainly most. It has been a very long time since I've seen a film that had me gripping the edge of my seat; and I'm not talking horror because most horror films make me actually leave my seat, never to return. For the first time, I recently watched The Hunt for Red October (1990) which I had never seen before nor watched the trailer for. I was astounded by the stellar cast which was all male. It didn't bother me though because all that testosterone pumping didn't diminish the film by a long shot. In fact, I'm glad the cast was all male, there weren't any funny jokes directed toward women and it didn't matter there was no love story. I find in many films with a heavily male cast; can be downgraded by adding in parts or characters that have no business being there. I know we are living in a society now where movies, films, and stories are more inclusi

 I've been painting since forever. For the last ten years I've been interested in painting patterns. Asymmetrical patterns, basically painting, are not really patterns per say. However, I often see my paintings as larger meticulous art that descends up and around the room in a motion that resembles patterns. Like the way, your eye interprets lights when the lids are closed or when you see a flash and the pattern cascades in your view till it finally disappears. Photoshop is my nemesis in that regard. I take my regular, paintings and transform them over and over again. At some point, they are unrecognizable, and sometimes I can still pinpoint where they came from. I don't know if this is a good thing, however. Often I find when in photoshop time stands still while recreating and creating. 2 hours becomes 9 in a snap and in that time sure I could create 1-2 paintings while photoshop creates 7-8 different versions of the same idea. I like the mirror patterns the best for they

  First off this is just my opinion and in order to write this properly I think I should include my own rules, My own nutritional facts. let me preface I haven't seen all the science fiction movies ever made, though I'm making my way there. To me, science fiction whether based on a book, story, or game or rooted in actual fiction films would have some shared elements. Even if films are dramatic, humorous, romantic, or plain old crazy. In any film, I look to see what holds the film together, the story, characters/actors, script, scenery, and soundtrack. I hope that at least all the bases are covered. but most of the time it's only a few. The script is often non-negotiable unless there's wiggle room which is often found in comedies and less in other genres. Sometimes the script is fine or better than fine, but the characters/actors try too hard or fall behind that even if the script is good no one can actually save it. For science fiction, it could literally be a silent f