IMAX

I haven't been to the cinema for ages, but I am thinking I want to go see The Odyssey on the big screen.  And I mean the really big screen - I'm no expert on the various different film stocks, but I really want to see this film in 70mm IMAX for the ultimate viewing experience (it was filmed entirely in IMAX, and this is apparently the best way to see the film).  One problem with that, there is no such screen showing that format in the Seattle area.  There used to be a big IMAX screen at Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is, and where I've seen films before), but it got sold and is now closed indefinitely.  Which sucks.  There is a downtown cinema showing the film in 70mm, but not on a screen with the proper IMAX aspect ratio.  But then it dawned on me that it's not that long until I'm back in the UK.  So I could wait until I'm back, and go watch it at the BFI in London (just one of the few locations in the UK able to handle 70mm IMAX).  But I've just been on the BFI website, and on the dates I'm back all the showings are either sold out or the only available seats are way at the front or way to the side.  Can I be bothered?  I don't know whether it's worth it.

Deja Vu

I was watching the film From the World of John Wick: Ballerina this evening, and I had the distinct feeling that I had seen it before.  Definitely the second half of the film.  Very weird.  And it's not like it's a particularly good or memorable film - like most John Wick films, just a lot of fighting and shooting (2 stars).  I wonder if I had seen it before.  Maybe on a flight, maybe just while channel-hopping.  I don't know.  And it's not helped that I kept on falling asleep during the last 15 minutes.  Not a good sign that I couldn't stay awake during the final climactic scenes.

England 1-2 Argentina

Well, that was disappointing.  I'm sure the British media will do the job of laying into Tuchel for making England way too defensive after we scored.  I didn't think we deserved to lose before that.  But neither did we deserve to win.  It was a fairly well matched game (low on scoring chances, high on niggle) until it turned into an attack versus defense training exercise.  And what was so frustrating that even with all the defenders, we seemingly still couldn't stop them crossing the ball.  It somehow felt inevitable.  Perhaps it is better that we lost this way, rather than lose in extra time or worse by penalties.  I think Argentina hates us more than we hate them.  So I hope Spain crushes them on Sunday.  And perhaps we need to remind them who still owns (and will continue to own) the Falkland Islands.  I won't bother watching the England-France game - the third place game is such a waste of time.     

TV Recommendation

A rare TV recommendation for this time of year, when there is generally not a lot on (I'm not watching House of the Dragon - which is probably the biggest show on right now).  The 7th season of Dark Side of the Ring is currently airing.  One of the best documentary series out there.  You don't have to be a fan of wrestling to enjoy this - this is more about some very flawed characters being involved in some very insane stories.  It reminds me why I enjoyed professional wrestling when I was younger, and just how watered down and lame wrestling is nowadays.    

Fasting

Because I had a doctor's appointment late this afternoon that would involve a lipid panel blood draw, I didn't eat anything other than a banana for breakfast.  So imagine my disappointment when my appointment, which was scheduled for 4.20 pm, dragged on until after 5 pm.  The reason for the disappointment: the lab where you get your blood taken closed at 5 pm.  So I fasted and suffered hunger pangs for nothing.  And I've got to go in again tomorrow to get my blood taken.  What a pain in the ass.  Note to self - stick to early morning doctors' appointments in the future.    

Hummingbirds

Kind of sad today.  I had to deal with another hummingbird death.  This was one that regularly used the feeder outside my kitchen window.  I knew something was wrong because yesterday I had seen it perched on the feeder looking a bit worse for wear - it's feathers were messed up and it was breathing heavily.  I went outside to have a closer look, and it didn't fly away - which is unusual.  My first thought was this was a good opportunity to take a photo of a hummingbird, so I went inside to fetch my phone and returned outside.  But this time the bird flew into the nearby tree, so I assumed it was just a bit tired and everything was okay again.  But later in the day as I was topping up the water in my feeders, I noticed the same hummingbird on the ground underneath the feeder.  It did not look in a good state.  It was alive, but barely.  Didn't know what to do.  Should I try to help it, or should I put it out of its suffering.  I picked it up with the plan of taking it to the feeder.  And that's when I noticed it had a leech or a slug attached underneath it.  Not good.  I removed it, but there was blood.  Yikes.  The bird was still alive, but not for long. I wonder if I could have done better - I don't think I could have done anything to save it, but I wonder if I could have eased it's suffering earlier.  The moral of the story - don't ask me to make any end of life decisions.  But on the bright side, just this evening I saw a different hummingbird using that same feeder outside my kitchen window.  Hummingbirds are extremely territorial, so it didn't take long for another one to claim this feeder. 

England 2-1 Norway (aet)

I should feel elated when England win a World Cup quarter-final.  But nope, that is not the emotion I feel.  Instead, it is a sense of exhaustion and relief.  Much like the match against Mexico, they don't make it easy do they.  Another tense and nervy win.  And this one included quite a lot of luck.  We were largely outplayed, they hit the crossbar, our goal should never have counted since the ball hit an overhead wire in the lead up, and there were a number of dodgy officiating decisions that went our way.  But we somehow did it - helped by the fact that we have one or two superstars that can make the difference, such as Bellingham.  I think the conditions didn't exactly help make this a free-flowing match - why you have to hold a quarter-final in a hot, humid, outdoor stadium rather than one of the many air-conditioned indoor stadiums I don't know.  I suspect there is politics and corruption at play again.  It feels like of all the World Cup quarter-finalists, we are the ones that have had to travel the most and play in the worst conditions.