Where have I been for the past week? OR, did my computer have a meltdown? And didn’t I see a film I thought you should view as well?

A #1
Taking a cue from that great Robert Redford directed film, Quiz Show, I’ll take the last question first.

At the local film club (The Kitchen Stove series, sponsored by our local Art Gallery — reason enough to keep supporting that worthwhile group) they recently screened “Julieta” by the renowned Spanish director, Pedro Almodovar. Taking three stories penned by Alice Munro, the idea was to shoot the film in Vancouver. However the director was concerned that he did not know Vancouver well enough to do the story justice. So he re-framed it in Spain. If, for no other reason, this film should be seen for its cinematography — the colours, the close-ups, the action — all are captured in wonderful, flowing moments.

I won’t give the story away: it’s about a mother and her daughter. Well, actually it’s about a whole lot more because it also deals with youth and aging (two different people play the role of the mother and the transitions back and forth are seamless — both actors are incredibly good and their performances blend very credibly into one). And I think it also deals with some of the fateful disconnects that happen in the more intense relational moments of our lives. There are some twists in the evolving plots, but none that really stretch the credibility that we seem to be watching a near documentary about the difficulties when stepping out of our comfort zones as well as when we try to step back in.

Go see it…worth a few hours of your time.

A #2
The computer did not melt down, although my puzzling BlackBerry Priv (the Android/BB crossover) did stall a couple of times. But the reason I set aside the Editorialog for a few days had more to do with a trip to Vancouver. I decided to drive the Hope/Princeton on the outbound because I was skiing on Monday and I could save 31 kms by taking the Green Mountain Road to highway #3. They are improving that road, bit by bit (p.s. note to Gordon Campbell, you should have kept the tolls on the Coq and the extra money by now would have funded a complete overall of the Crowsnest Highway from Hope all the way through to the Alberta border). The drive was delightful as the traffic is considerably less than in the pre-Coquihalla days — the timing seemed to be about the same as it would have been on the higher-speed but longer Coq. When I came home I decided to return the same way and found that indeed I got home perhaps even a little quicker, and had burned far less fuel, so I may well use the Hope-Princeton more frequently. I know the X5 sure enjoyed the twisty parts of the road!!

Vancouver was its usual crowded city-self. While the number of highrises increases almost daily, the real problem is that the plan by the Art Phillips-led enviro-friendly City Council of the 70’s wherein they would not build any freeways as that would make sure people quit driving cars, has failed. While there are some excellent transit options, including SkyTrain, articulated buses on major cross-town routes and a Mountaineer Express for commuters from along the north shore of the Fraser, the majority of people still need cars. Parking is at a premium and streets designed for two lanes have three and those built for four lanes have five and six. I kept my appointments to the middle of the day wherever possible and once traffic picked up, found a great place to sit, sip & eat (along with a parking space!!). It was rainy most of the time, so I never forgot that it was March. Otherwise I might have, because there are no major outbreak of blossoms yet.

I think I may have to go back to Vancouver near the end of April. While I have a series of medical moments scheduled, I also want to look for flowers and even a few rays of sunshine there. I will say that the service at the bars, restaurants, etc. certainly was as fine as it’s ever been. Didn’t have one bad experience with service at an eatery or drinkery. When I travelled back on Thursday the weather was good — but I didn’t go skiing on Friday, because the weather on the hill was fog-infested.

A #3
I should conclude by letting you know that I went to “Live from the Met” today. It was almost five hours at the theatre — but it was worth it. I’ll tell you more about it later… and I might even talk a bit about my sermons that I am delivering while my ministerial friend is on a pilgrimage.

g.w.