I’ve watched two movies recently, both of which  were heavily laden with flashbacks. In both cases, I read movie reviews and saw the movie trailers before I watched the movies. In spite of my pre-watch preparation, I found myself confused by the story lines.

In The Accountant (starring Ben Affleck), it was somewhat easier to follow the story line because in the flashback scenes, the actor portraying the much younger  Accountant (Ben Affleck ) wore glasses  and had short clipped brown hair, just as the grown-up Accountant had.

In Manchester By the Sea, starring Ben’s brother Casey Affleck, the flashbacks were more confusing. It was very obvious the main character has suffered some horrendous loss, but what that was was not revealed until three quarters of the way through the movie, after a lengthy series of flashbacks. In a fairly early scene, the main character goes to a hospital where someone close to him is either ill or has died (Who?). Someone, who could have been his father or uncle or older brother meets him at the hospital, but it takes a while to pick up the clues that this person is a friend, not a family member.

Both movies were interesting, but the stories were really told through flashbacks and that technique can be confusing and even frustrating.  It can leave you hungry for a simple story without any flashbacks.

Of course, we all experience our own flashbacks. Here’s one of mine.

Flashback (no I won’t divulge the year)

Peace

Lolling ( leaning  or lounging about in a relaxed, lazy manner) is a skill that takes a great deal of practice;  particularly for those of us who grew up convinced that being lazing was proof of some sort of moral inferiority.  If you did “loll” there was a great deal of guilt to overcome.

I’ve found a way to develop the skill of lolling while mitigating guilt.  First and most importantly, you must physically remove yourself from your usual environment.  One of the most effective ways to do this is to go on a cruise. It’s impossible to feel guilty about your unwashed laundry when you are not falling over piles of dirty clothes. Freed of guilt, it is much easier to relax, especially when you have scenery such as this to enjoy.

                                                         Cabo San Lucas January 2017

A Post-Christmas Surprise

I found what I thought was the perfect Christmas gift for my two sisters-in-law.They both like flowers (who doesn’t!). A gardeners’ supply catalogue I received advertised a new amaryllis bulb, planted and ready to sprout and bloom in time for Christmas ( or soon thereafter.) I was so please with my find that I ordered one for myself.

The bulb arrived, nestled in a nice little pot, complete with care directions. I set it in a sunny place, then left for a ten day cruise. When I came back, the bulb had just begun to sprout. I checked it each day, but not much progress was evident. By the second week, the bulb began to sprout with a vengeance. You  could actually hear the plant growing! The main sprout measured 25 inches tall, and the leaves were 30 inches long. Finally four wonderful blossoms appeared at the top of the stalk. I hadn’t realized I sent them the Giant Redwood version of an amaryllis. She is pretty, though, don’t you think?

Peace