This magnolia near school is pretty much in full bloom now. Once the seasonal changes start they are off and running!
Work was busy yesterday but unremarkable. I was immersed in a couple of back-office activities -- more spreadsheets and statistics, more tracking overdue materials -- and the truth is, even though I've complained about spreadsheets here in the past, I actually kind of like those tasks. When I can do them without too much interruption they can be satisfying, but of course there's always some interruption because some kid or other needs to check something out or find a certain book. It's just the nature of the gig.
Dave and I watched "Adolescence" on Netflix over the past two nights. Hoo-boy! I feel confident in saying it's one of the best things I've seen on television. The plot would be riveting under any circumstances, but add in the technical innovation -- the fact that each episode is filmed as a single take, from beginning to end, including a remarkable moment when the camera smoothly transitions from terrestrial to aerial and back again -- and it's astounding. The acting is brilliant and the message to parents -- make sure you know about your kids' lives on the Internet -- is pertinent. We loved it.
As I told Dave, I'm glad I'm got growing up now, and I'm glad I don't have kids. Given how cruel kids can be to each other in real life, I can only imagine what they're like on social media.
I'm not sure what's next for us on TV. We're about to finish the bewildering and not entirely satisfactory second season of "Severance," at which point I may drop Apple TV and switch over to NOW so we can watch "The White Lotus." (I try to limit our streaming options to three channels or so, to better keep track of the expense.)
This filthy fairy (don't call me that!) has appeared on a wall in Billy Fury Way, near the tube station. It looks like it's been there a while but I only noticed it the other day.
In other news, I think I have rosacea on my nose. The tip of my nose has turned red and is prone to breaking out in little eruptions, and the sides of my nose are itchy. This has been happening for months. I wonder if this has something to do with the way I wear my glasses (about halfway down my nose so I can look over them)? I've cut back on alcohol, having a drink only a couple of times a week, thinking that might be a factor but so far it hasn't made a difference. I am mystified. A trip to the doctor may be in order.
If you haven't seen Boiling Point (2021 movie) you should. It is the same director, same one shot, same Stephen Graham. Brilliant film.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen it! We'll check it out!
DeleteYou don't consider the paperwork when you think of a librarian's job.
ReplyDeleteNose..yes, sporting the "teacher" look, may be the cause...what are the pads made of that contact the skin? What do you clean the pads with ?
Or it could be something completely different!!
Clean the pads?!
DeleteSeriously, they're just plastic, I think, and the disruption isn't right where they touch my nose but more toward the tip.
I know you are pretty discerning when it comes to TV viewing so I am glad that you were also wowed by "Adolescence". As for your red nose, how about wearing make-up? A good quality concealer by Max Factor should be just the ticket. And while you are about it why not go the whole hog with Florida Flamingo eye shadow and Bulbous Plum lipstick?
ReplyDeleteDrag queen story hour!
DeleteIf your nose is already red, you could add a clown nose, just for effect.
ReplyDeleteHa! Or just go au naturale for Red Nose Day?
DeleteThere is hardly anything more beautiful than a magnolia in full bloom.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the trailer of Adolescence courtesy YP, it seemed too intense for me. I think courtesy Phyllis, I can watch Netflix. Will I try...not sure.
I've read quite a bit about White Lotus and seen some interesting screenshots. I wonder if I can see that.
It may just be keratosis on your nose, sun damage. It breaks out and then your body repairs the damage, and then it happens again. Rinse and repeat.
I've hard keratoses on my head, but they feel sort of scaly. This doesn't feel that way.
DeleteI watched Adolescence last night as well, all four episodes. Gutting stuff. I did think of you and Dave as I watched the school scenes though. How accurate is this? Here, the local school is very mean, and the police are their arresting kids two or three times a week. (This is the middle school, 10-14 year olds.) Do you hear of that sort of routine violence in UK schools too?
ReplyDeleteFour episodes in one go! British public schools are a lot like they are in the states, I think -- they vary significantly depending on the area. Dave and I work in a private school so it's a totally different environment.
DeleteI guess I should watch Adolescence. I'm afraid it will make me feel even worse about the human race than I already do.
ReplyDeleteI sat down yesterday to do some stitching and scrolled through Netflix for about fifteen minutes, trying to find something, anything, I could bear watching. I'm weird and picky. I finally started on one of the Philomena Cunk episodes. I've never really thought I liked Philomena but I found myself sitting alone in my living room stitching away and unexpectedly bursting out in laughter at times. I'm sure she's not for everyone but I'm glad I gave it a real try and I am looking forward to more.
The comedian who plays Philomena, Diane Morgan, is hilarious. We loved her in "Motherland" (which you should watch if you can get it) and in "Mandy."
DeleteDo your glasses have metal in them? Maybe you are sensitive to that. A trip to the dermatologist might be useful.
ReplyDeleteThey do, but the metal doesn't really touch my nose, I don't think...?
DeleteThat is a gorgeous tree. I don't think we'll be watching Adolescence. We piggyback on our daughter's account but it's a pain as they have to send her an email asking if we are part of her household. Though the last time we used in a few days ago to watch The Electric State with Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, they didn't ask.
ReplyDeleteMaybe now they've got you in their "system" so they won't need to verify you every time?
DeleteI want to see that show, even though it will make me more anxious about my grandson growing up:)
ReplyDeleteThe Electric State looked interesting too, so thanks to Ellen Abbott.
Go and see a doc Steve.
It's worth watching even though, for parents and grandparents, it's bound to be worrying!
DeleteI was hoping to see magnolia blooms when I went to DC one spring but I was too early.
ReplyDeleteI think in DC it's the cherry blossoms that are the thing? In any case, yes, there's a tight window of time to see them at their peak!
Deletestunning top shot! Filthy fairy made me laugh!
ReplyDeleteI have seen clips and interviews re" Adolescence " which convince me that it is quite a good production but also that I can not watch it. NOPE. big nope, I watched enough of "Boiling Point" to know that that sort of intensity and reality is just not my gig these fragile days. Elmer Fudd is about as deep as I can go.
I can understand how some people would find it hard to watch. I mean, we did too, but riveting at the same time.
DeleteBeautiful magnolia. Ours are a long way from that stage.
ReplyDeleteI shall be watching 'Adolescence' on my middle daughter's recommendation. With three almost adolescents in the family, I'm not really looking forward to seeing it.
It's definitely a cautionary tale!
DeleteThe dogwoods and crepe myrtles are starting to bloom here and the color is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteYou gotta love this time of year!
DeleteThat magnolia tree is gorgeous and the whole photo with those grand looking white buildings in the background make the scene a very appealing one.
ReplyDeleteYou're limiting your streaming services and I just signed up for BritBox so I could watch the new series "Ludwig". Only two episodes are out but it's pretty darn good. I can't imagine giving up Apple, that's where all the good stuff is.
The houses on that street (Loudoun Road in St. John's Wood) are very distinctive, with those high peaked roofs. We must get "Ludwig" here on one of our streaming services. I should look. (We get BBC, ITV and some other British channels with our TV license.)
DeleteAt first glance, I thought that fairy was a butterfly.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just kids being mean. Adults can be just as vicious on the internet.
You're right! The anonymity encourages people to release their pent-up anger in all sorts of ways.
DeleteThat's an odd place to get rosacea. My younger daughter has a terrible struggle with it after no problems at all with her complexion until her 30s. Frustrating. There are creams and such and other treatments. (which she is too stubborn to use) I've been hearing lots of buzz about "Adolescence" but I don't know that I'm ready to be disturbed, as I'm sure I would be. "Severance" was bad enough on that score.
ReplyDeleteThat's how it happened for me -- my skin was fine until about a year ago. Very weird.
DeleteI had acne rosacea in the late 90s - the first dermatologist I went to said it was because I had an office job & didn't clean my phone handset (the breakout was on my chin). He gave me a VERY EXPENSIVE prescription which did nothing. I went to a different derm who knew right away & prescribed something that made it disappear & it never came back. I think there are lots of things that could cause that redness - definitely let a doctor figure it out!
ReplyDeleteOK, good to know! Maybe that's what I have too.
DeleteHope the red nose is easily treated. That’s the pits. You could start wearing foundation. (I know I could!) We just watched the first episode of Adolescence yesterday. Exceptional. We have it on Netflix, which was flakey today so we couldn’t watch episode 2. The Billy Fury Filthy Fairy is frightfully familiar.
ReplyDeleteThat's a tongue twister!
DeleteI'm looking forward to the Adolescence as well as the season finale of Severance. And like you, I'll probably cancel Apple+ and try something else for awhile. I like to limit the expense of streaming services, too.
ReplyDeleteIt's the only way to keep track of them and rein in the expense!
DeleteWe have not succumbed to Netflix yet, Adolescence sounds interesting, so maybe. I thought the fairy was a butterfly.
ReplyDeleteNetflix is our default these days. We go there first.
DeleteI recently listened to a NPR interview about the director of "Adolescence". It seemed interesting though I have yet to watch it. I'm currently watching "The Americans" about Russian and U.S. spies. Seemed sort of fitting given the state of things these days.
ReplyDeleteOh, we loved "The Americans"!
DeleteI’m finishing up Severance, then will watch Adolescence (though it does seem intense and I don’t know if I can manage such elective intensity in these times), then White Lotus. Just finished Paradise which was quite good too. And Zero Day got terrible reviews but it kept my interest. To your commenter Ed who is watching the Americans, that show had the best final season and best series finale of any show I’ve watched. There were some weaker seasons in the middle but that final season is worth persevering for.
ReplyDeleteWe watched "Zero Day" and thought it was meh, but we got through it. We haven't tried "Paradise" yet. I'm not even sure what streaming service carries that here.
DeleteMore alcohol! Don't overlook the obvious cure!
ReplyDeleteWrong cure if alcohol is one of his "triggers".
DeleteHa! Maybe I should rub it directly on my skin? It's a disinfectant, right? :)
DeleteNO!
DeleteI am shocked when I hear about some of the things that happen at the schools. Is school culture no longer important? I believe the schools should teach reading, writing and math but equally important establish a culture that dictates what is acceptable and unacceptable in the school community. School leadership should be held more accountable.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very hard to manage large populations of kids under certain circumstances. I agree that strict boundaries seem to help. Some kids crave boundaries that they're not getting at home, and may not even know it.
DeleteRoseacea, nothing to do with your glasses and everything to do with lack of sunscreen and and food/drink items that kick off a reaction. I have it and get breakouts on my cheeks close to the nose, triggers for me are chocolate and chips (crisps), other people are triggered by alcohol. In years past, old men with red/purple noses were called "Old Winos" indicating a life fuelled by grog when in fact they may just have had untreated roseacea, because back then no one knew much about it.
ReplyDeleteSee a dermatologist and take note of what you eat and drink to find out what your "triggers" are and how much of anything you can have before a reaction. This is one of those "no cure only control" things.
ReplyDeleteThose red-nosed "winos" are what made me immediately suspect alcohol. We'll see if cutting back on that clears it up. I really can't be bothered with a food journal and all that. I'd rather just live with a red nose, I think.
DeleteIt never really clears up, it abates and rests and breaks out when you least expect it. Stress is also a trigger for some people, but most often triggers are anything you eat or drink that dilates the capillaries, which is why untreated roseacea results in the spider veins on the cheeks of the red/purple nosed "winos". Spicy curries, chillies (for me) really anything that heats the blood, although not all will be triggers.
DeleteLike you, I'm glad I'm not growing up now, and I'm glad my kids are not growing up now. I'm even kind of glad my grandchildren are being home-schooled although I have reservations in other ways about that. Anyway, the online bullying and the constant exposure to curated perfection via TikTok and Instagram must be tremendously hard on kids' mental health, since they haven't experienced enough of real life at that age to understand that what they're seeing is not reality. I wish I could just tell them none of it is real and none of it matters in the big picture. But of course if that is the society they are growing up in, it does matter to them.
ReplyDeleteAh, magnolia blossoms. A simple pleasure. Unlike social media.
I think I still don't fully grasp the destructive depths of Instagram. I don't spend enough time on it to see that, though I understand in theory.
Delete