French Music, Knight Rider, & Arthouse Cinema
Plus: AuStIn SuX, nachos, and a new gym toy.
Reading
2023 Bum Steer of the Year: Austin
Crapping on Austin has once again come back into favor, and you know what, fair. Before I moved here, I thought the place was pretentious. It’s not like anything changed in that regard; I’m just on the inside now. Austin has never been as cool as insiders or outsiders have said, but given articles like this one from Texas Monthly, it’s also not that bad.
Austin’s a victim of its own success. Housing prices are too high, but people keep moving here. TM says it’s a “now a surf-park town.” Please. “You should have lived here ten years ago” is the constant and eternal lament, and it’s true enough. The city is changing. For one thing, it’s a big city, and most gripes fail to deal with this undeniable fact.
I can only speak for myself, but it’s still the best place to live in Texas. The collection of things we have access to here, from food to movies to music and more, is fantastic. I’m just glad I already bought a house.
Watching
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Thanks to the Austin Film Society, I had a chance to catch this much-talked about film that has skyrocketed into The Discourse after British magazine Sight and Sound saw it top their poll of the greatest movies of all time. To be honest, I had never heard of it, and I’m no slouch. I’ve half the top 20 in this poll, but my foreign film exposure is definitely lacking.
At over three hours in length and with French dialogue, I knew I needed to see this in person, and I’ve never been more right. This is avant-garde cinema and can’t be approached like a normal movie. It takes places over three days, following Jeanne’s mostly banal domestic chores. (The cooking scenes were my favorite; her kneading of a meatloaf is mesmerizing.) It would be easy to call this boring, but the realism is the point. It makes us fall out of “movie time” that cuts from action to action, and instead sits us with her as she cleans the dishes, washes her hands, or performs many other common tasks. While there is shock that comes by the end, it’s all set up by the rest.
As I’ve come to accept how poor my memory is when it comes to books or movies I’ve consumed, I’ve taken to embracing the metaphor that watching a movie is like taking a warm bath. Be here now, and enjoy the moment. That’s really all there is anyway.
Moving
Equipment: Plyo Box
It’s amazing how a simple box can do so much in the gym. I’ve had a 12/14/16 inch wooden plyo box for a while, and it gets used a decent bit. Before a run, I do jumps to warm up. Started with 12 and moved to 14. I also use it to measure squat depth, touching it with my bottom at the bottom of the movement. Started with 14 and moved to 12. With this new 16/20/24 inch model, I can start pushing my jumps higher. Right now I can do 16, but 20 would be awesome. These heights are also good for step ups, weighted or not. I did those with my physical therapist, and they’re a great unilateral move. Also, building it was fun!
Living (in Austin)
The Austin Symphony: The Colors of France
Austin is not New York or Boston or even Houston when it comes to its symphony, but it’s not bad either, especially with occasional $20 tickets.1 The soloists I’ve heard over the years are always excellent, even if they aren’t in the absolute top-tier of the classical world. For this performance, that might have changed. Nancy Allen is the principal harpist for the New York Philharmonic and teaches at Juilliard to boot. Umm, I think that might make her the best in class at her position. She brought works by Tournier and Debussy to life.
Old-School Tex-Mex at El Patio
I remember visiting El Patio on one of my first trips to Austin in college. Back then they served saltines instead of chips with their hot sauce. Keep Austin Weird, indeed. I still like going there when I can. It always seems to have cops and people who work at the athletic department of the local state university. They must like Velveeta cheese on their enchiladas. I tried the nachos for the first time. Homemade chips make all the difference. They’ll celebrate 70 years next year, and I’m sure I’ll join in.
Miscellany
Knight Rider Episode of the Week: “Goliath Returns”
Didn’t know Michael Knight had an evil twin? Well, lots of suckers out there. It’s actually part of the origin story. The man who “created” Michael based his looks off of his own son, Garthe, with an extra “e” for “evil.” The ‘stache and soul patch give it away. Turns out Garthe has his own super vehicle, Goliath, an unstoppable truck. Unstoppable until Michael and K.I.T.T. get involved! This is the third time the series uses the evil twin in just two seasons, so they knew a good thing when they saw it.
What’s Next
I didn’t get to the magazines this week, but I will. Eventually.
Finishing a new novel which I hope to review.
Get on the ASO mailing list for last minute tickets. The couple next to me did, too, and that was interesting. They were on a first date, and didn’t go to lots of classical music. They really enjoyed it, and didn’t clap between movements, so bravo. I did get to hear all the small talk that accompanies such an event. It was awkward, but cute.