A relatively quiet day yesterday. It was a rainy morning so Olga didn't want to go anywhere. I got our bedsheets to the laundromat and did some minor stuff around the house. I also finished the YA book I was reading, "Plague Land," a zombie apocalypse thriller that's probably too gory to recommend to any kids younger than high school.
Then Dave and I went to see "Dune: Part Two" at the cinema. It was very good. I didn't remember a lot of the details of the plot from the first movie, but I really didn't need to. The second one picks right up and keeps going, but I knew enough generalities that it made sense -- and the scenery and costumes and special effects were all so spellbinding that it was impossible not to be entertained. Definitely a big-screen experience. Dave tried to get us tickets to the IMAX theatre but it was sold out, so we saw it at our normal cinema, and that was good enough.
I told Dave afterwards that "Dune" is a good example of a story that needed to wait for a certain level of special-effects technology in order to be effectively told on screen.
We also had lunch at a Chinese place on Finchley Road that Dave likes. It has been completely remodeled from the last time we were there, and it's very colorful inside, with a whole arbor's worth of artificial yellow-orange wisteria hanging from the ceiling. (Is yellow wisteria a thing?) They were playing an interesting mix of '60s and '70s folk-acoustic music over the sound system. I dined on my tofu and broccoli with brown sauce to the harmonies of Simon & Garfunkel singing "Mrs. Robinson." There was some John Denver in there too.
Multiculturalism! It's kind of amusing.
Oh, good news! My black spot has vanished. I guess it really was just a healing injury. So that's one doctor's appointment I won't need to keep. The hospital still hasn't contacted me to schedule it, so when they do I'll just tell them to forget the whole thing.
(Top photo: A colorful mural near Euston Road, taken last weekend.)
That first mural is gorgeous! And the hanging "wisteria" too. Tofu? No thanks. I haven't seen either Dune so I guess I'll wait until it's on TV. Or maybe I'll find the book and read that.
ReplyDeleteTofu with broccolii and brown sauce sounds really good right now. There are no yellow wisteria. Was it supposed to be perhaps a laburnum (golden chain tree)?
ReplyDeletePraise The Lord! The black spot has gone! This is all down to the power of prayer. Now you can live again. Praise Him!
ReplyDeleteYes, special effects did have to develop first! But did the storyline keep to the book?
ReplyDeleteThat mural is nice and bright and cheerful.
Good news about the black spot, eh/
ReplyDeleteAnd a Chinese restaurant with wisteria dripping from the ceiling as they play 70s tunes? I'm confused, though your lunch sounds dee-lish.
That era of music is what plays at my dentist's office!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the injury was a blood blister. that's how they do, stay around forever and then one day just peel off.
ReplyDeleteWe watched the first Dune movie on out little TV (with commercials that strung it out for over 3 and a half hours). I like to see it again on a bigger screen.
those yellow and orange strands don't look like wisteria to me but what I really wonder is how they clean those things. or maybe they don't, just get rid of them when they get dingy.
Dune never interested me in the least. I finally got around to reading it after several tries and I realized it's just not my book and I doubt it's my movie, either.
ReplyDeleteOrange and yellow wisteria seems odd.
Glad your black spot disappeared.
We watched the first Dune movie a few weeks ago & it was fabulous! So then we watched the "Sting" version & oh my gosh you are so right. We just laughed through the whole thing. So bad. Well, it didn't help that no one could act in that one either (which is apparently the director's fault because they had some good actors).
ReplyDeleteI was watching what I thought was Dune 1 on Netflix when my son came in and said I was watching the wrong one. I was watching the one from 1984 and I was almost at the end and thought it was so strange throughout the whole movie! And the special effects were so odd!
ReplyDeleteSo now I understand that there is another Dune 1 with Timothee Chalamet and I will have to watch that before I watch Dune 2 which I hope comes to Netflix one day... I'm not a big scifi fan but I do like Zendaya! :)
I read the Dune books and loved them ... That was a long time ago! Will only watch the movies on the TV if I come across them ... Maybe! 🤔
ReplyDeleteI will be having Chinese for lunch today ... shrimp 🍤 and broccoli 🥦 or peapods🫛!
No hanging wisterias at our restaurant! LOL
that's a very colorful and well done mural.
ReplyDeleteI want to see "Dune!" I loved the book and the author is from my area. However, John isn't so much into science-fiction. I might have to watch it eventually on my TV.
ReplyDeleteI like the mural. A meal at the Chinese restaurant sounds good. Yellow wisteria hanging from the ceiling seems odd to me. The black spot healed itself and that is good news. A dermatologist might have wanted to biopsy it. No need for the doctor.
ReplyDeleteMy fanny pak has a clasp that is always grabbing my flesh, I get those little blood pools frequently.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/ashikaga-flower-parks-famous-wisteria-are-blooming-early-this-year-041421
If you scroll down in this article, you will see the yellow wisteria. Their gardens are amazing with all the hanging plants.
I've never seen Dune (original or remake), but do plan to read the book when I make another Classics Club list. There are many SF classics I never got around to.
ReplyDeleteGlad the spot is gone. I still think it was just a blood blister.
So glad the spot is gone. I bet you are relieved!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen or heard of yellow wisteria.
ReplyDeleteGood news about the black spot.
I am glad you enjoyed Dune.
ReplyDeleteI am glad your black spot is gone. I am glad enjoyed your movie. I haven't seen the first one. Not my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteSuch a clever headline. I've never seen or heard of yellow wisteria. Good news about your black spot disappearing.
ReplyDeleteRiver: The book is supposed to be good. I tried it as a teenager but it wasn't my thing then. Maybe I'd appreciate it more now.
ReplyDeleteMitchell: Oh, laburnum! That would make sense. I didn't even think of that.
YP: Well, I'm glad YOU were praying.
GZ: I never read this far into the book so I can't be sure, but my sense is that it's sticking pretty closely to the original.
Bob: I was confused (and amused) too!
Boud: It's weird that pop music of my era (or slightly earlier) is now considered waiting-room music.
Ellen: I guess most of the blood blisters I've had have been relatively superficial. This one was odd because it was deeper and not obviously blister-like.
Ms Moon: I wasn't very excited about seeing it, but the visual artistry is really good and makes it worthwhile, I think.
Bug: If I remember correctly, David Lynch directed that '80s version and he is very into sort of stilted performances. (As in "Twin Peaks.") So he may have been going for that, for some reason.
Ellen D: It's just as well you watched the old one first. You will be even more blown away by the new one!
Marcia: I love broccoli and pea pods in a Chinese dish!
Red: It's eye-catching but I'm not sure what it means. The sun gives us energy, I guess?
Margaret: Do you ever go to movies on your own? I know a lot of people don't like doing that but I used to do it all the time when I lived in New York. Now I don't go to movies very often at all!
Susan: Exactly! It's so good to avoid that biopsy.
Allison: Wow, that looks like an amazing garden. So yellow wisteria DOES exist!
Kelly: I've found that a lot of Sci-Fi classics haven't aged well. Not sure about "Dune," though.
Michael: I feel relieved and a little silly!
Andrew: Apparently it does exist, but I think Mitchell's right about the laburnum possibility.
Rachel: The costumes were my favorite part!
Debby: I like some science fiction but the more "out there" it gets, the more I struggle with it. So I thought this might be a challenge, but I found it very accessible.
That yellow wisteria is amazing! Looks like a fun place to eat. I remember reading Dune. I'm not a sci-fi fan but I liked the book though didn't see the movie. But I've seen some clips and it looks spectacular. Three cheers on the black spot!
ReplyDeleteThat seems like a strange type of decor for a restaurant. Here in the desert, those hanging vines would just attract a lot of dust.
ReplyDeleteYes, I also love the costumes. I also love the soundtrack.
ReplyDelete