[a pleasurable headache] contradictory modalities of living a life
Apologies, it's a small one this week. It has been an eventful fortnight. We got our first real bout of 'toddlers being disease vectors'. Flo had a round of Norovirus that had her vomiting for 4-6 hours straight two weekends ago.
She had mostly recovered by the end of the weekend, but the week had other plans. I was falling asleep that Sunday evening before hearing an almighty crash. I had no idea what was going on. My better half straight away said she thought it was a car.
Lo and behold, I poke my head out of the window, only to see a 2010 model BMW firmly planted in the hedge of the next door neighbour's garden. The car had come off the road at speed (we live on a slight corner), taken out a wall, and a lamppost, then careened across our front garden before finding purchase in aforementioned hedge. All of the occupants scarpered, leaving their untaxed vehicle behind.
It missed our house by a few feet and next door's gas main by even less. As disruptive as it was getting the car recovered and the detritus of the lamppost being cut down it could have been a lot worse. Flo, somehow, slept through it all.
A few hours later, finally asleep, I awoke and started vomiting, thankful for the Norovirus gift that had been granted me, ready for a new week. That was two days off work. A day or so after that we had water dripping through the first floor bathroom due to a shower above it not having a part correctly installed. Once that problem was solved my better half came down with the Norovirus. Needless to say it has not been a very productive two weeks and not much has been read.
I sincerely hope that's our run of bad luck for the rest of the year.
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Links
How Millennials Grew Up and Got Old
https://annehelen.substack.com/p/how-millennials-grew-up-and-got-old
A recent entry in Anne Helen Petersen's newsletter on being 'washed', exiting the spotlight and collective guilt.
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In Conversation: Michael Mann The director on his inspiration rooms, clubbing with cocaine importers, and the obsessive research he did for Ferrari.
https://www.vulture.com/article/michael-mann-in-conversation.html
Another week, another great longform interview with a directing legend/stalwart.
"The revelation for me with Enzo was the spectacular duality of the man. A lot of forces in his life are contrary to other impulses and forces. Now, if you said to him, “How do you explain your contradictory modalities of living a life?,” not only would he be bored and not answer you — he wouldn’t even credit what you’re talking about. And that’s the way things operate in life. We all carry things that are in opposition to each other. And they don’t get resolved. They get resolved in archetypal dramas that we craft. "
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The Subversive Genius of ‘Far Cry 2,’ 15 Years Later
I have fond (sometimes frustrating) memories of this game. An imperfect masterpiece that allowed for tales of derring do and complete chaos.
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I'm off to find out who cursed me, see you in two!