Amy Czerniec waiting for a COVID vaccination at a Walgreens store in Racine, Wisconsin
Amy Czerniec waiting for a COVID vaccination at a Walgreens store in Racine, Wisconsin, October 6, 2023.

Another Week: Number 41

by | October 8, 2023

Another Week

September marked ten years since Amy was first diagnosed with cancer. This year, the disease has been methodically backing us into a corner. Friday afternoon, we sat in the drizzly backyard for most of an hour while Amy gathered the strength to climb the three stairs to our back door.

Two hours later, we got to experience “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up“ firsthand, and we weren’t laughing as we did at the 1989 commercial. Amy wasn’t hurt, but how to get her back on her feet was a complete mystery for over an hour. Eventually, I found a YouTube video on the subject that worked.

Saturday, she tried out her new shower stool while I propped her up.

As Saturday night ends, she’s in bed on the second floor where our only bathroom is located, and I’m not sure how to get her down the stairs.

I have emailed her doctor.

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Children of Men (2006)

We don’t choose to watch many dystopian action thrillers, but Children of Men has a 92% Tomatometer rating, so we gave it a try.

The film is set in 2027 when there is so much environmental damage that no one on Earth is having babies anymore. The world is a violent, chaotic junkyard, and our little band of characters — including Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and Michael Caine — dodges explosions, gunshots, and assorted murderous gangs as they navigate from here to there trying to escort one particular young woman to a destination.

I can never seriously invest in these sorts of stories because (A) reality is relentlessly catching up, and (B) this sort of chaos is what I want to escape.

Nevertheless, this particular movie — directed by Alfonso Cuarón — is a huge and obvious achievement in terms of visual style. Camera angles, single-shot sequences weaving through intricate mayhem, the grime, the rubble — it’s an hour and 49-minute tour de force.

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Jason Isbell: Southeastern | Live at the Bijou Theatre 2022

Both of us are big Jason Isbell fans, especially Amy.

Ten years ago, he released his album Southeastern, which brought him all sorts of critical acclaim. Now the album has been reissued as a box set, the Southeastern 10 Year Anniversary Edition, with remastered audio, demos, live versions, etc.

Over on YouTube, there’s a new video of Isbell and his band The 400 Unit performing the entire album on December 14, 2022, at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee.

We watched it Tuesday morning and loved it. Amy was rocking.

 

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Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Since it’s October and all, Amy wants to enjoy some spooky movies — but we’ve already seen most of the greats, I’ll never find anything to top The Exorcist, and neither of us cares for slasher flicks.

So, after bailing on several obscure titles several minutes in, I finally settled for Sleepy Hollow, Tim Burton’s adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story starring Johnny Depp.

It was alright.

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Chicago Bears 40, Washington Commanders 20

After 14 losses, this Thursday night game was enjoyable and even a little harrowing as the Bears seemed tempted to blow their lead in the third quarter.

But they did not.

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