CURRENT EVENTS

Bay City, Michigan

I would have loved to have travelled last week to Bay City by this ship, but instead took I-75.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I usually don’t read fictional books; but I did this one because it was written by a friend of mine.

I was surprised that I could not put the book down and read almost the entire book in one sitting. I finished the few remaining pages (96 in total) the next day.

Sara has written a number of other books, that I am going to check out because I enjoyed this one so much.

Marie (2020)

By Sara Kjeldsen

Marie has always been a violent girl. She has no remorse for those she kills. Once she takes out her husband, she will have everything she has ever wanted.

That is until the pool boy gets in her way. After she kills him, something strange happens. Psychopaths aren’t supposed to feel guilt. She doesn’t care about anyone. So why is her latest victim haunting her dreams?

Marie is the story of a stunning young woman who is forced to face her own heartlessness (Source: Back cover of book)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

This film was released on August 12, 2022, to mixed reviews from critics. I can understand the mixed reviews, since my feelings about the film were also mixed. 

At first, I thought the film was a bit of a put down to older people, but eventually I liked the film.

Mack & Rita (2022)

Thirty-year-old Mack Martin reluctantly joins a Palm Springs bachelorette trip for her best friend Carla, but then decides not to go to the event. Instead she finds a tent and does a past life regression and winds up as her seventy-year-old self. Freed from the constraints of other people’s expectations, Rita comes into her own, becoming an unlikely social media sensation, and sparks a tentative romance with Mack’s dog-sitter, Jack.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Folks, how about something different.

I can’t always keep playing 50s music.

Only Happy When It Rains (1995)

By Garbage

ART OF THE WEEK

Paris Street, Rainy Day (1877)

by Gustave Caillebotte

The Painting’s Background

The painting presents the urban transformation of Paris, that went through sweeping renovations of the city commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III.

Caillebotte witnessed these vast transformations that were complete in 1870. Paris Street; Rainy Day shows the merging of the old and the new city: the couple and the male in the foreground walk on a narrow sidewalk that represents the old city, while a newly constructed building in the backdrop marks the emergence of the new city.

The painting is populated by multiple characters placed in a zigzag pattern, which represent the range of social classes that form the urban landscape. Caillebotte most prominently featured the bourgeois class, represented by the elegant couple in the foreground. Different classes are represented to a lesser extent and can be identified by their attire and activity. For instance, a man in the background carrying a ladder is likely a worker. Similarly, the two figures passing each other in front of the second building on the left are wearing unfashionable tattered clothing that indicates their lower status.

EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

KEITH RICHARDS

Keith Richards once got a turtle for his birthday. 

He asked: “How old will it get”. 

They told him: “About 300 years”. 

He said: “Now you see why I’m against it, you get attached to such an animal and then it dies.

Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. 

His songwriting partnership with Mick Jagger is one of the most successful in history. His career spans over six decades, and his guitar playing style has been a trademark of the Rolling Stones throughout the band’s career. (Source: Wikipedia)

JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

Did any of you go to or have heard of The Woodward Dream Cruise?   If so; please let us know.  

I can recall cruising Woodward, when I was in high school.

 The Woodward Dream Cruise is the world’s most popular car cruise and largest one-day automotive event.  It is held annually the 3rd Saturday of August on Woodward Avenue and about  one million people attend this event each year.

LEARNING TRAITS

I’m not sure why this is so hard to learn,

but it seems to be.

MISCELLANEOUS

For someone my age, this is rather sad.

Only three remaining from the original crew.