Kurt R.A. Giambastiani's Blog, page 52
January 26, 2015
Gut-Punched by Octogenarians
Last night, after watchingAmour (2012), I was positively knackered. I’d just spent two hours reeling from the blows inflicted by this unflinching story of an elderly couple dealing with the inevitable. I’d wept sharp, stinging tears of grief and had the air punched from my lungs. It left me weakened by a powerful catharsis, spent […]
January 22, 2015
Yer Killin Me
There have been times in my life–and I bet in yours, too–when I’ve found myself in a While-You’re-Up death spiral. You know…you rise from the sofaduring a commercial break and before you’ve had a chance to lock your knees your Significant Other says, “While you’re up, would you mind…?” That dot-dot-dot is always a small […]
January 20, 2015
That was Different
It was still dark when I turned the corner and saw the woman lying on the ground. It was outside the transit station, and a few other early-morning commuters had slowed to see what was going on. Shared glances communicated our mutual concern for the young woman spread-eagled on the sidewalk. One man leaned over, […]
January 16, 2015
The Only Cover Art Resource You Need
Since the day Gutenberg pulled the first sheet off his press, we’ve been told “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and for just about as long, we’ve done preciselythat. It isn’t fair, but we do judge books by their cover and now, with the Big-Bang-like expansion of the self-published sub-industry, we probably do it […]
January 12, 2015
Middle-Class Bellwether
Something’s been going on amongst my neighbors and friends that I find remarkable. Unfortunately, I don’t know what to call it. I do, however, know what it isn’t. It isn’t a gifting circle, in which a small group of people pool their money either to crowdfund one of their own or to build a large […]
January 9, 2015
An Act of Courage
Wednesday, in the wake of the terrorist massacre at France’sCharlie Hebdo, Jon Stewart ofThe Daily Showsaid thatcomedy “shouldn’t be an act of courage.“ I’m not so sure he’s right. Comedy, it seems to me, often is, and more so than we might think. A week before Wednesday’s murders, in an example of pure coincidence, Ifound […]
January 6, 2015
Get in Line
I hope you all had a fine holiday. I had a fine one, myself. During the holiday break I slept late (well, for me, 7AM is late). Each morning as my wife snoozed in, I’d get up, throw on my old-man schmatta, turn up the heat, start a pot of coffee, and slipper outside into […]
December 19, 2014
Holiday Best
We have a stay-cation coming up, beginning in just over two hours. I’ve been looking forward to another chance to “practice my retirement” for some time. The year 2014 hasn’t been good for time off–most of our attempts at vacations have gotten bollixed up or re-purposed by events and necessities. But for this one, we’ve […]
December 18, 2014
Twice-Cooked Times Two
Biscotti. You can’t have just one. No…literally, you can’t have just one biscotti, because biscotti is the plural form. If you only have one, you have abiscotto. The word biscotti (and biscuit, for that matter) comes from the Latin root:bis – coctus, meaning “twice-cooked,” and they are, indeed, baked twice. What I like best about […]
December 16, 2014
We Who Are About to Die…
It’s a rare occasion whenI’m wholly surprised by a movie. Rarer still is when I come across a star-powered film of which I’ve heard absolutely nothing. Rarest of all is a movie that combines both of these. Morituri (1965) is such a film. Before I stumbled across it while channel-surfing, I’d never heard of this […]
