Coronavirus (Covid-19)

[Randall]

Disney also announced they will begin releasing their workers, but will still keep their benefits going, which is really good of them considering the state of healthcare in the US.

[Randall]

A little quiet around here. What's everyone up to?

I'm doing a little work remotely, plus treadmill & TV (Jetsons and Arrow), reading classic Howard The Duck, watching Criterion Channel, and shoveling snow. My son and I endured Superman III, while he loved his first Chaplin film, Modern Times (watched at my wife's request, as she also loves Chaplin).

I've managed to settle into a bit of a routine, though I miss the rigidity of my old work schedule.

[ShyViolet]

Hmm...started watching the Picard series, listening to my favorite songs on Spotify (Disney songs, movie soundtracks, Broadway and classical), and reading some of this novel on my Kindle app that I started a long time ago, Notes on a Scandal by
Zoe Heller (also one of my favorite movies).

Other than that just hanging out at home. Although fortunately I was able to get to the local supermarket chain today and stock up on all the things I needed. So at least that.

My son and I endured Superman III, while he loved his first Chaplin film, Modern Times (watched at my wife's request, as she also loves Chaplin).

Cool! Modern Times is the best!

[ShyViolet]

One of my all-time favorite movie moments: Judy Garland singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in Wizard of Oz. In some ways the wistful longing is kinda sad, but it also exudes strength and hope.

It might help to watch, especially if you haven’t seen it in a long time (even more so if you’ve never seen it at all).

https://youtu.be/PSZxmZmBfnU

[Randall]

It's hard to imagine someone not seeing that before. But, I guess it's possible. That would be sad, though. I can't imagine not knowing that performance, I've seen it so many times.

I had such a frustrating afternoon. I'm a healthcare professional who now has to try to work from home. We are booking consultations via video conferencing, but naturally it's pretty slow going. I spoke to three clients this afternoon who had contacted us about making an appointment, and got none made. One actually needed a doctor to sign a form for a child benefit (no idea why he called us, as we're not a doctor's office???), one wanted to book an in-patient appointment for her mom, even knowing it might be months before we could open (and she declined an online assessment, hoping all would be open in a few weeks), and one basically didn't want to pay for any service - he just hoped I could give him advice over the phone for free and without assessing his problem at all, which would actually be illegal for me to do.

What is wrong with people?!?

Sigh. Better luck tomorrow...

[ShyViolet]

I’m sorry to hear that your day wasn’t very good Rand, and that you have to deal with these issues.
Hope things go better tomorrow!

[Ben]

It's hard to imagine someone not seeing that before...

Says the guy who had never seen Jaws...

And has never seen..........................

[Randall]

Point taken, but Oz is THE family classic! Not many are watching Jaws every year from the age of three onward.

[EricJ]

Point taken, but Oz is THE family classic! Not many are watching Jaws every year from the age of three onward.

We now have several GENERATIONS since Oz was shown on TV every year (not counting the years Ted Turner had it all to his widdle self), and parents now have to decide at what traditional coming-of-age point to first show it on disc to their kids.
Film Literacy begins in the home.

As for my lockdown, I'll often spend a half hour in that brain-fogged state before bed, just randomly serendipity-surfing Amazon Prime for what is the most obscure cult-title their public-domain backwater might stock without notice. (Hey, cool, the Professor Balthazar cartoons, haven't seen those since 70's Saturday morning!)
While other services want to be the new Blockbuster Video, Amazon Prime is like that comfy old mom-and-pop store with the faded cult-movie titles on the back shelves that you'd never heard of until now.

[Randall]

Point taken about Oz. I guess I'm getting old.

Balthazar is NOT ringing a bell. Huh.

But I agree about Prime. It's neat what shows up on there.

[Ben]

Um...if a generation runs approximately thirty years, and Oz first debuted on TV in 1956, then we've only just passed a couple of generations who grew up with it on the small screen, not "several"...

Don’t worry Rand...you’re not *that* old...!

[EricJ]

Balthazar is NOT ringing a bell. Huh.
But I agree about Prime. It's neat what shows up on there.

Even if you DON'T have vestigial DNA memories of Chuck Jones showing the 60's Zagreb toons on ABC's old "Curiosity Shop"*, they're worth looking up for refined toon-philes:
Arguably the most famous cartoon series to come out of Croatia, about a funny inventor, with a visual style and whimsy that can only be described as "Imagine a mix of those old foreign Tom & Jerry cartoons (only funny), classic National Film Board of Canada, and Yellow Submarine".

(* - And even those memories had been blocked until I realized the music from "Starlight Serenaders" had not left my subconscious in all those decades: )


Seems to have gotten a good-looking restoration from some minor disc company, and Prime snapped up what wasn't nailed down. That's why us cult folks love to search them.

[Ben]

Okay, now I remember this. ITV showed them here in the mid-80s, I think, as their afternoon kiddie filler between their own shows. Although I can appreciate it now, I probably found it too bizarre, even then, to worry about trying to watch it consistently! Fun to see again now, though, unearthing a forgotten memory!

[Daniel]

Hello all, I'm sure you've noticed I haven't been around lately. The bloody virus got me. Haven't been tested, but have been sick all month and have all the symptoms. So not fun and the worst I have ever felt in my life. Couldn't do much of anything, and barely ate anything. Just kept waking up everyday hoping it had passed. Finally starting to feel like my old self. Pray you don't get hit.

[Randall]

Oh, man. Sorry to hear that, Daniel. But I'm relieved you are starting to feel better. Still, continue to take precautions against infecting anyone else.

I may be virtually unemployed, but I'm glad to be home and safe.