To thine own self be true

The English poet William Wordsworth (works) had a concept that he called “Spots of Time.” These are small, memorable events that occur mainly outdoors and in touch with nature. According to Wordsworth these spots have lasting quality and are capable of “lifting us up when we are fallen.”

‘There are in our existence spots of time,

That with distinct pre-eminence retain

A renovating virtue, whence, depressed

By false opinion and contentious thought,

Or aught of heavier and more deadly weight

In trivial occupations, and the round

Of ordinary intercourse, our minds

Are nourished and invisibly repaired;

A virtue by which pleasure is enhanced,

That penetrates, enables us to mount

When high, more high, and lifts us up when fallen.’

to say nothing of entertaining and humorous with pets.

is officially seeping into Alberta at 2 parades recently. A Pro-Life float in one and a racist float spoofing Singh and the Liberals on a manure spreader.

In the old days, politicians would just periodically walk, drive, or appear on floats with no such obvious biased agendas.

“Rubes imploding in a ball of wokeness.”
–Jason Kodish, July 3, 2022

The last of the James Bonds? (spoiler: There is a note at the end of the movie that “James Bond will be back” despite Daniel Craig’s character being blown up at the end of it.)

It was a good Bond flick with Craig presented more sympathetically thanks to the love of his life and their young daughter. As usual, the world is threatened by a doomsday device–this time, in tune with our pandemic time–a lethal killer virus.

All the usual crew is back including M, Q, Moneypenny, Felix, and the woman who replaced Bond as 007 when he last left the force. And so are the cliche chase scenes, showdowns, many deaths, unexpected plot twists, escapes, a nasty villain, and the destruction of the villain’s fortress all deja vu in previous movies.

As send-offs go, this one is satisfying despite having, perhaps, a somewhat downer finale. Certainly, if you’re a long-term franchise fan, it’s worth checking out–even though it’s  too longish at 2 hrs. and 43 minutes.

I was pleasantly surprised by the credits music–an oldie I’d not heard before by the late beloved Louis Armstrong: “We Have All the Time in the World” which is very touching to hear for those who remember the great Satchmo.

Overall–the movie is mainly recommended for Bond fans. For them, there are more than enough reasons to see it, including 4 engaging featurettes. It is always interesting to see Bond movie behind-the-scenes documentaries with comments by cast and crew.

(Fireworks display from our front window on a previous Canada Day)

Still the best country in the world to live in despite all the ongoing political and social problems. Hard to believe the PCs have gone Trumpian with Poilievre marching with extremists. Diefenbaker and Pearson would be turning over in their graves. 

Here’s to the Father of Confederation who unified Canada and made Confederation possible!

(July, 2022)