Buon Natale

 And here's another shot from Venice, which was waiting patiently on my phone for some attention. It's not a great picture, but it made me happy nonetheless. 

It boggles the mind that we'll be celebrating the holidays in Sicily next year.

That Would Have Helped

 I stumbled across this picture the other day, and decided to finally get around to posting it. The odd thing is that I had already saved it to my laptop's desktop, so it's not as if my phone randomly decided to remind me of something that I had somehow forgotten. Essentially, I'm not very efficient at getting things posted to my blog. I'm up for 3400 posts, but there are times when I feel that there are another thousand pictures or stories patiently waiting in the queue. This picture is only a year and a half old, as compared to ones that I snapped two decades ago which are still floating in the ether. On our first trip to vaporetto (the water taxi that conveys folks up and down the Grant Canal in Venice, which I inevitably call the velociraptor) we were only planning on heading up three or four stops, but didn't really understand the logistics; essentially, we were curious to how many stops were on the route and when they would turn around and head back. We were also wondering why there was no sign on the vaporetto that would provide that information. Anyway, we decided to blow by the Rialto Bridge and figure out for ourselves. About the time that we entered open water we understood our mistake. Plus, they weren't planning on turning around, but instead were making a long circuitous route. And, of course, there was no restrooms. By the time we reached where we had climbed on originally (our in front of the Metropole, where we were staying), we asked if we could just stay on for the three stops to get to our original intended location - only to have the guy explain that they were going to turn around and head the opposite direction. Beyond having to pay for another trip, Janet also had to use the restroom - so she jumped off the water taxi and ran back to the Metropole. It was sort of a metaphor for our entire series of misadventures on that first trip to Venice.

Anyway, the next day we climb back on the water taxi and the captain picked up the sign and hung it for all to see (which the previous day's captain have never gotten around to doing). So,, now we have it figured out. Once we're settled in Venice we'll head back to Venice several times, and hopefully avoid being such rubes in the future.

Movies in 2026 165

 

Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)

For some inexplicable reason, I had somehow never seen Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 film Solaris. I certainly wasn't ducking it, and I've liked the other films of his that I've seen (Mirror, Stalker). Anyway, I found got around to watching Solaris, and I will doubtless be watching or re-watching his other films (happily, the Criterion Channel has a healthy lineup of Tarkovsky films). Like his other films, Solaris is complex and challenging, and at the end you're not quite certain what you just saw, but you're awfully glad that you made the journey. It's science fiction, and the purest form of science fiction, that is, asking difficult questions and not relying upon shallow special effects (that is, US science fiction). Psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) heads to Solaris to figure out why the scientists there are experiences bizarre hallucinations, only to find that his dead wife Hari (Natalya Bondarchuk) keeps returning from the dead and committing suicide. There's a lot of rumination on memory and loss and meaning, thus classic Tarkovsky. Highly recommended. Mirror and Stalker are back in my queue, along with Tarkovsky films I haven't seen.

Movies in 2026 164

 

My Dad Is 100 Years Old (Guy Maddin, 2005)

Guy Maddin is another one of those directors who I was introduced to by the Criterion Channel, and I loved his My Winnipeg (and not simply because we're heading there in July). This morning I watched his short film My Dad Is 100 Years Old. It was written by and starred Isabella Rosselini, and it was a tribute to her father Robert Rosselini. There were parts about it that I loved, including Isabella Rosselini playing Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, and her own mother, Ingrid Bergman. Her father being played by a large stomach (she remembers curling up on his tummy, so on one level I get it), I liked less. It definitely made me want to go back and watch more Roberto Rosselini films. 

A Gift of Excellence

 Of all my friends (and, again, I have more friends than I can justify), the one who is respected for giving the best gifts (and for being an all around great friend) is my friend and office-mate Erik. Yesterday he gave me my retirement gift, which were two metal Minnesota Vikings bookmarks. Amazing. Of course, the best part of the present were the incredibly heartfelt comments from Erik and his wife Laura in the card, which I will long cherish.

On the back of both he had "Audeamus" engraved. It's the made-up motto of Champlain College, which has been a long-standing inside joke in our office. I guess it is inspiring to base your goals on "We Will Dare," or whateve3r we translate it as. Mainly, the joke is based on my belief that once you give something a label, especially a self-generated one for publicity, it certainly has no meaning - and I don't think we've had one "daring" moment since we crowd-sourced the motto (unlike the days of Champlain, when that was what we were known for). I told Erik that since the Vikings are featured the motto be the Latin equivalent for "we will fail", which is think is something like deficiemus. Still, it's a sweet gift.

Movies in 2026 163

 

French Cancan (Jean Renoir, 1954)

The Jean Renoir film fest continues, with the latest film being 1954's French Cancan. I sort of had mixed emotions about starting it, but it starred Jean Gabin FFS so that cleared up any misgivings. I'm more of a fan of the 1930s Renoir/Gabin pairings, but I still ended up liking it quite a bit (it really grew on me as the story progressed). It tells the story of the founding of the famous Moulin  Rouge, with Gabin playing Henri Danglard, who manages to avoid bankruptcy while simultaneously starting the new club while sleeping with several women (again, he's Jean Gabin FFS). The main female contestants for his attention of Nini (Francoise Arnoul), Lola, the "Belle Abbesse" (Maris Felix), the Esther (Anna Armendola). Renoir even manages to sneak in Edith Piaf in a small role. The  film's visuals are influenced by key Impressionist painters like Edgar Degar and Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Jean's father, which for some reason always surprises me). I didn't love it, but I liked it quite a bit. It's got a ton of energy, especially as the story moves along. Recommended.

Loyal Fans

 Usually, when I'm crashing in my friend Kevin's spare room on Thursday night in the summer, we always follow a dinner at one of various and sundry restaurants and a trip to Al's for ice cream, we head back to watch the Phillies (KA's favorite team). However, this last Thursday the Phillies were off, so what were our options? Well, as true CFL fans, the obvious thing was to watch a recap of the 2025 Grey Cup (which, of course, we watched live in the very same room in November). 

With the CFL season starting, and the expansion of our CFL fantasy league, the preparation is intense. It also now looks like we're adding a game in Ottawa to our already full slate of games in Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Regina.