GRIZZLY PEAR

written snapshots

Category: Notes

  • HEMA Youtube

    For the past week, I’ve gotten sucked into a corner of educational youtube that is focused on european medieval arms and martial arts, also called HEMA (historical european martial arts).

    The channels are all quite fun to watch, some favorites being scholagladiatoria, Modern History TV, Lindybeige, Skallagrim, Shadiversity, and Tod’s Workshop.

    But then, I just realized that I haven’t practiced my tai chi for the past week. I’ve traded real life for the much easier (and amusing) point and click universe of internet television.

    In a world before children, I had the free time to have it all. Now, life really is zero sum game. If I’m living vicariously, that means I’m not living in reality.

  • Suddenly

    Our daughter caught a cold and was exiled to the guest bedroom for a couple night.

    She went from barely filling out a cradle to comfortably fitting out a twin sized bed.

    Life moves fast.

    Or maybe it’s just the change in context that makes you aware of what done happened.

  • Summer Wars, Mamoru Hosoda, 2009

    Last night, my wife and I snuck off to watch a movie after the kids fell asleep.

    Summer Wars had won the 2010 Japan Academy Award for animated film. It is indeed a very nicely done film, but was ultimately just a fun fluffy popcorn flick with lots of action.

    It’s a little unfair to come away slightly disappointed, since I find a lot of Disney and Pixar fare just that as well. But still, I guess all these years of watching Studio Ghibli films has made me expect just a little more in its core.

    Don’t get me wrong, it’s worth a watch, but unless I’m missing something, it is just what it says it is.

  • Shadversity, 2013-present & Modern History TV, 2016-present

    This morning I ended up falling down a youtube rabbit hole indulging in the little boy’s fantasy of arms and armor.

    The first was in the classic youtube format of a nerd geeking out in front of a camera. The info was great, I found the conversation about swords where the sharpened edge on the inside curve very interesting. But ultimately it was a monologue with a few video accents.

    The second was a bit more polished production about armor and weaponry. This must have involved a team, not only did it involve an archer and medieval armor, it also included a visit to the range with modern body armor.

    And of course both were totally free, after a pre-roll advertisement. Shadiversity is clearly a personal project, nicely done, but not super polished, but I’m scratching my head what is the business model for the Modern History.

    I most likely shouldn’t ask too many questions and just enjoy it.

    We really are in a golden age of free content, it’s all out there as long as you have an internet connection.

  • The Matrix, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, 1999

    Talk about being late to the party.

    Actually I had seen this one, when it came out, on someone’s downloaded screener.

    So I finally decided to watch the “real” thing on my 32″ TV.

    Wow.

    I fully expected for the CGI to feel dated, but it held up great.

    I think the movie may have been tarnished by the reputation of the sequels, because I planned on getting bored during various parts of the movie, especially since I already knew the plot.

    Nope.

    Maybe they got plodding and indulgent in those latter two films, but this first one takes you from here to there and done. It did exactly its job and cut out.

    And since I came of age in that era, I still have an affinity for long black trench coats, boots, and leather…though you’ll never catch me in the last one.

    “Guns, lots of guns.”

  • Spike Jonze

    I am way, way late to the party. And I haven’t yet seen one of his feature films.

    My favorite director is now Spike Jonze.

    In the past, had I recognized the name as auteur, which made me assume he was one of those guys that tries too hard.

    The other day, I fell into watching his music videos (thanks youtube!) and was utterly blown away. He is a master of his craft. He was great on a budget, but made fancy ones as well. It felt like every next video was my favorite. He knew timing exquisitely and suspense and climax.

    I would find myself jumping out of my seat and laughing out loud.

    And half the time I didn’t like the music!

    Here are three videos, each a decade apart – 1999, 2009, and 2019.

    Praise You, Fatboy Slim
    Heaven, UNKLE
    Woman, Karen O and Danger Mouse

  • Chairs

    Do chairs support our posture, or do they enforce a certain type of posture, maybe to our detriment?

    This question could apply to any number of things in our world that surround us.

    Though I’d reckon it is never a true dichotomy, but a bit of both.

  • When I’m Gone, Cletus and the Burners, 2004

    Fifteen years ago, I came across a bluegrass band at the Tuesday Farmer’s Market. I was so struck by them, I followed them around that July 4th weekend as the performed around town in a wickedly cold San Francisco.

    The group lasted for a few more years but eventually disbanded. Their CD’s are still a fun listen, and this song is particularly good.

    Maybe it’s a bit too maudlin for mass consumption, but worth sharing.

  • Checklists, Atul Gawande, 2009

    One of my favorite books is Atul Gawande’s Checklist Manifesto.

    The other day I had to pull some photos off the phone so I decided to write one up so my wife could do so later.

    Yikes, what a convoluted process.

    I mean, I always knew it was a convoluted process, but this exercise really highlighted how convoluted it is.

    Looks like I have some streamlining to do.

    Or maybe not. Could be that this extra effort is worth not buying another computer or hard drive.

  • Dao De Jing, Laozi, (Ursula K. Le Guin) and Zhuangzi, (Thomas Merton)

    With my recent dive into the Dao De Jing and the Zhuangzi I’ve been been reminded that some authors are just better at writing in english than others.

    Admittedly the goals of these different translations were divergent – some of them are actual translations while others are only renditions.

    Not surprisingly however, the books that gave up fidelity to the original text gained the freedom to really write fluently in the new language.

    I’m certain the imprimatur of a famous author didn’t hurt my reception of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Tao Te Ching or Thomas Merton’s Chuang Tzu. But then again higher expectations often lead to greater disappointment.

    In these two cases, they did not disappoint. Their years of writing for a popular audiences prepared them with the subtle tools to excel in their craft, and it shows.