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bike riding and movies
Nov. 4th, 2006 09:06 pmToday consisted of lots of sleep, a bike ride of about 10-11 miles along the W&OD, and two excellent movies from Nova Scotia, both set on Cape Breton.
The ride was fun. A little cold to start with, but I warmed up pretty quickly once I got going. I took a few breaks, but I still hit a wall around the seventh mile and had to stop for a rest. Two miles later, I got my second wind, and I did the whole thing without walking the bike at all. I need to get religious about doing my five miles every day; I'd hoped that by now I wouldn't be tuckered out by ten...
The films, some of the ones I found on Netflix but didn't have a chance to watch before my vacation, are wonderful. Both convey a bit of how claustrophobic small-town life on an island can be (something I wondered about while I was there) but also how rewarding it can be (of which I also got a sense).
New Waterford Girl is in some ways a pretty typical teenage "this town is stifling me and my family don't understand me and want to get OUT OF HERE" movie, but it's funny and quirky and just sad enough not to be silly and fast-paced enough that it never seems to lag.
Marion Bridge is about three sisters trying to deal with living together and care for their dying mother, not quite trusting each other, hashing over old wounds, and each of them with their demons to wrestle with. It managed not to be horribly depressing, of which I was afraid, and even come out the other side of a lot of nasty story elements with a hopeful ending. I'd definitely recommend both of them!
Also, both featured a lovely song that I hadn't heard before, which seems to be a bit of an anthem of the island, or at least a popular extolling of the virtues of small-town life. It's called "Song for the Mira". And it was composed by Allister MacGillivray who, it turns out, is the father of two of the members of the absolutely wonderful folk group the Cottars, who I learned about while I was there.
OK, now to do a bit of paper-sorting and laundry before I call it a night.
The ride was fun. A little cold to start with, but I warmed up pretty quickly once I got going. I took a few breaks, but I still hit a wall around the seventh mile and had to stop for a rest. Two miles later, I got my second wind, and I did the whole thing without walking the bike at all. I need to get religious about doing my five miles every day; I'd hoped that by now I wouldn't be tuckered out by ten...
The films, some of the ones I found on Netflix but didn't have a chance to watch before my vacation, are wonderful. Both convey a bit of how claustrophobic small-town life on an island can be (something I wondered about while I was there) but also how rewarding it can be (of which I also got a sense).
New Waterford Girl is in some ways a pretty typical teenage "this town is stifling me and my family don't understand me and want to get OUT OF HERE" movie, but it's funny and quirky and just sad enough not to be silly and fast-paced enough that it never seems to lag.
Marion Bridge is about three sisters trying to deal with living together and care for their dying mother, not quite trusting each other, hashing over old wounds, and each of them with their demons to wrestle with. It managed not to be horribly depressing, of which I was afraid, and even come out the other side of a lot of nasty story elements with a hopeful ending. I'd definitely recommend both of them!
Also, both featured a lovely song that I hadn't heard before, which seems to be a bit of an anthem of the island, or at least a popular extolling of the virtues of small-town life. It's called "Song for the Mira". And it was composed by Allister MacGillivray who, it turns out, is the father of two of the members of the absolutely wonderful folk group the Cottars, who I learned about while I was there.
OK, now to do a bit of paper-sorting and laundry before I call it a night.
