Happy Wednesday!!! Week 2 of unemployment for me! Luckily, my housemates’ wedding is next week, so they are keeping me busy (they got married legally in January 2020, and have been waiting 4 years to have their big blow out wedding reception). Today, I get to go pick up 200 candles, and on Saturday I take delivery of a deep freeze (no leftovers will go to waste! Not at these prices).
I’ll start!
Watching: I’ve been watching through Taskmaster again. It’s a lovely show, all on youtube legally, and a great sort of background cheerful people doing nice things show. Also, I’ve been playing a lot of solitaire. Which I consider “watching” if I play it on my phone.
Reading: I finally finished book 12 of my space action series. And then I wiki’d it and learned why it was such a slog. The author had the series plotted out, but then made a sudden change decision for the end of book 11. So the whooooooooooooooole first half of book 12 was just him rearranging things to get back on track. But the second half was GREAT! And I expect book 13 to be even better. And then I am done with that whole series, and ready to move on. My parents recommended Charles Todd mystery books, any thoughts on that?
Thinking: You know the problem with doing a deep intensive reorganization of your house? It’s invisible to outsiders! I did my bedroom yesterday and took 2 hours re-organizing my closet and bureau. And at the end of it, it looked….exactly the same. I know that the closet is no longer random things shoved in and the door closed, but no one else does. Oh well.
Listening: I’ve continued to hit Chappell Roan hard, it’s great peppy cleaning music. But I also have my in case of emergencies hardcore Indian cleaning song, “Kerala Manninayi”
Now, question for you! What are your good peppy energy cleaning songs? Indian or otherwise?
dontcallitbollywood 
Just saw Casablanca after many years. Its like Shakespeare. The more you think about, who said what to whom, you will discover new meanings.
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Absolutely agree!
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I’m all immersed in eighties these days. It started with a documentary about Wham, and since then I’m super obsessed with Careless Whisper. I always liked the song, but after seeing the documentary I appreciate it so much more and listen to every version possible. I also may have a little crush on young George Michael now 😉 And while we are talking about men in shorts, yesterday I finished the new Netflix series about Menendez Brothers. I absolutely loved it. Yes, it’s not perfect and sometimes heavy to watch but it has everything I want form a movie. All the actors are phenomenal. I was supposed to do my needlepoint while watching but I couldn’t because everybody was so good, I had to watch closely. The music was great . The songs they chose and where they placed it. The costumes were beautiful. It was all so aesthetically pleasing (everything but murder scenes of course). Now I read everything I can to know more about the case and what really happened.
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I’ve been considering the Menendez documentary! It’s such a cultural touchstone in America, I’m not sure I’d be able to set aside my preconceptions to enjoy it. Are you able to watch the other seasons of American Crime Story? They are all EXCELLENT.
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I knew nothing about Menendez brothers except that they killed their rich parents so everything in the series was new to me. Maybe that’s the reason I loved this series so much, because I watched it like a movie, like an interesting story. Only after finishing it I started reading about the real trial, and read reviews. Seems like many people didn’t like the series because it doesn’t show the story how it really was in 100%, but it’s not a documentary, of course something will be different. I personally loved how the perspective changed from one episode to another. At first I was like: “those spoiled guys killed their parents for money. Why didn’t they just left if the life in this family was that bad?” But later I saw that they were so messed up, it was impossible for them to leave. And in the end I was hoping they will be exonerated (of course I knew they won’t be but I still hoped).
From other American Crime Story I only saw half of O J Simpson series. And now I wonder if I should watch Dahmer. It’s from the same makers but I’m affraid it will be too dark for me.
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The one I actually found best was the Versace season. It really focused on the people involved and justifiably blamed the killer for being a bad person.
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I’m in another spell of researching empowerment right now, after our Baby told her uncle: “I want to have white skin like all of you.” Yes, well. Poor baby. We’ll be joining an all-black playgroup on Saturday, see how that goes. (Why does no one just tell you these things exist, instead of simply harping on how she needs other black people in her life?)But I can’t help but feel like there’s something specific about her situation, where ALL the other people in her family are white. And then I read about how it’s empowering to be among people “just like yourself”. And I know she’s always going to be an outsider: within the black community, among queer families, among other foster kids.So I’m getting insecure: Are we asking too much from her, to build a healthy identity as this minority within a minority within a minority?You know what helps, though? The way I myself identify. Being German or gay or any of the traditional criteria are rarely at the forefront of my mind. While it’s a very strong part of my identity as the person that I am that I like Indian films.So now we only need to find Baby an all-consuming hobby, preferably full of open minded people.
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Not sure how US-specific this is, but this is a nice jumping off place for resources: https://www.embracerace.org/
I’m sure you’re doing great though! Just hoping to be one of those people who “tell you those things exist”
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Hoping to be a helpful person who tells you these things exist: There are a whole slew of resources here https://www.embracerace.org/ A lot might be US-centric but hopefully there’s something useful!
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Thank you for that. I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me. 😉
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Ugh, this is all so hard! And it never fully goes away (I know from friends of mine who were cross-racial adoptees). But you are there to listen to what she needs without judgement or taking it personally and that’s the best you can do for her. I also like to remind myself that everyone has identity struggles. Adoptees (especially cross-racial) have one kind, but there are others.
Oh, also, go on Facebook or similar, there WILL be an online community specific to your situation. You could even try reaching out to adult adoptees and asking them what would have/did help them as children.
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luckily, she showed us this week that she isn’t all too damaged yet. She started seriously playing with Playmobil and reacted very positively when we got her a dark-skinned figurine.
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Yaaay!
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Watching Slow horses season 4. 1 episode per week. Reading Matthew scudder crime novels via audiobooks.
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Thinking about when I can walk pain free again. I’ve had chronic ankle pain, seen 4 specialists. Finally have some direction of therapy I need to do in the mean time but it seems so difficult
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Ugh! That’s so frustrating! I hate when my body isn’t working right and not able to DO things with it. For me at least, it’s not the pain so much as the lack of productivity that bothers me.
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That and how doing things then makes the pain worse so it’s a downward descent into not being able to move. I cancelled my India vacation and SRK day trip because of this… Will travel only when I’m recovered
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OH! SRK Day is a Saturday this year! We can do a watchalong! We should totally do that.
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Yes indeed!!
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Watching: I watched Srikanth which I did not like and thought the film was incredibly boring. Then I watched the telugu film Godfather which is like an amalgamation of almost 10 other films. Jailer also had a predictable plot in that sense but the film had a charm while also bringing up quirks which added a fresh flavour to the film. So very boring and Salman Khan looks like he filmed the cameo from his house. Now I’m watching Tubelight.
Reading: I’m rereading Ponniyin Selvan as there is so much going on in my life so I need a book which is more like an adventure. So far, its fun and peppy which is what I need.
Thinking: This specific weekend is a bit hard for me as I’m moving to a place which is very far from everyone I know. Thus I’m having lots of homesickness and the feeling of emptiness. Hopefully it gets better but it feels so far very alienating. I just feel filled with regrets and very very lonely. Change is always tough but I feel like if I share it, it will eventually get better.
Listening: Nothing specific as there is too much going on in my head.
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Well, moving is also exciting! You get to explore a new place, and try new food, and see new things, and put your pictures up on different walls, and all of that! And of course, you still have the DCIB community 🙂
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Awww Margaret thanks for the message. Its nice to have at least friends online who can understand you
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Hi Margaret and all!
Just checking in after a while and see that you are posting a little less and have major life changes going on. Wishing you all the best and hope you enjoyed the wedding!
I’ve been overall watching less Indian films than normal (though a bit more lately). I’m just starting to think that the Hindi film industry overall is just a bit lost lately…in the interests of trying to please everyone, they aren’t really focusing on what they do well…ROMANCE! I will give credit where credit is due and say that there have definitely been more than usual interesting female characters this year, but nothing that I’ve been jumping up and down about so far this year. I was just looking at my favorite Indian films list of 2024 and it’s short and none of them are actually perfect 5 stars from me. My list: Maidaan, Amar Singh Chamkila, Kalki 2898-AD, Crew, Aavesham, Jigra, and a big surprise to me Khel Khel Mein!
So…Watching (lately): Aavesham – definitely a really fun take on the happy gangster and Fahadh is so great in it! Devara Part 1 – watched the Telugu version, really did like the charisma of NTR Jr. again here, Saif and Jahnvi both did fine (even with the dubbing)…don’t like the trend of two part films and this was a bit too needlessly violent for me at times like many Telugu films. Jigra – an interesting film that didn’t quite move me like I wanted it to, but I can’t deny the craft of Vasan Bala and the performance of Alia Bhatt (both superb).
The biggest surprise for me was Khel Khel Mein! I think besides the romance in Hindi films, I’m missing the glamour and the candy coated sets. So when an Akshay Kumar/Fardeen Khan starrer gives me the latter and actually has comedic writing that I actually laughed at…I was definitely surprised! A solid 4/5 star watch and it was nice to see Vaani Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu get roles where they get to wear nice things and have well-rounded roles. There’s no real romance to this film (and honestly none of the couples are true model couples or arguably belong together) but that’s not really the point of the movie. It’s just an adult comedy that doesn’t take the low road as much as usual.
Reading: Nothing of major note but I enjoyed J. Ryan Stradal’s Kitchens of the Great Midwest – a popular lit fic novel that I’ve been meaning to read…also enjoyed the second in the Jaipur trilogy by Alka Joshi, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (Hindi film adjacent since a fictional cinema hall collapsing in the 1960s is the starting point for the plot). I plan to read a Ramayana adaptation or retelling at the end of this month which has become one of my personal Diwali traditions.
Listening: to that remake of the old song about sibling love from Jigra (and lately just returning over and over to the Rocky aur Rani soundtrack when I listen to any music at all).
Just wanted to say hi! Hope you are well!
~filmilibrarian
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Hi Back! You are watching so much more than me. On the other hand, that’s often been true 🙂
I like the idea of doing a Ramayana something for Diwali. Oh! Maybe K3G?
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My friend and I are definitely going to see Singham Again Diwali weekend (which has a fairly cheesy but fun overlay of the Ramayana on the plot based on the five minute trailer which spoils everything!). I will watch most any film with Ajay in a tight uniform…it’s one of my weaknesses. Looking forward to Raid 2 next year, too.
Kind of want to see Bhool Bhuliya 3 but don’t really want to watch the second one first. Only watching it for the songs and production value…still don’t like Karthik (who really does?!). How is he a star?
~filmilibrarian
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You are going to have such a fun theater time!!! I didn’t realize there is another Singham coming out. Singham 2 wasn’t nearly as good as 1 (I think), but it was still fun. And I also have faith in Ajay in a tight uniform.
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Khel Khel Mein is really such a nice surprise. It has everything I missed : Akshay playing charming playboy, good humour , good costumes and emotions. I also loved that the movie is so fluid and engaging, I wasn’t bored even for a minute, I didn’t look at my clock and I didn’t want to pause. I wish I watched it in cinema, because stranegly it arrived here is Sicily, but I didn’t go because going to the shopping mall when they showed it on Sunday is a nightmare.
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