Blue shoe, blue shoe, world's end for me and you

Unexpectedly most pertinent double-bill ever? The World's End and Blue Jasmine. What, pray tell, could the conclusion of Edgar Wright's "cornetto trilogy" (virtually flawless as a trilogy, in my opinion)  and Woody Allen's latest outing, possibly have in common?

Well, I'm glad you asked, nonexistent hyothetical amorphous mass of a reader!

Both films deal a lot with nostalgia, and the difficulty of getting beyond a romanticized past and moving on to a productive future. Both, while hilarious, left me ultimately feeling sad and troubled, but in a good way, as if both had provided much needed sips at the goblet of "actual life wisdom" (someday Ima have to procure me a chug o' that). Both ended up vividly recalling people in my life, or at least aspects of them, as only the best films can do (God forbid I ever become a Gary King, but I will contend that he stands as an eerie doppleganger of who I could at least somewhat become if left unchecked and non-reflective).

And both, as you may have concluded, were pretty fucking awesome.

In general, this visit in Waterloo continues to only become steadily more rad. Massive heart-to-hearts with many of the most important people in my life? Pretty fucking crucial. Feeling semblances of actual emotional progress, of feeling the Sisyphusian boulder actually edging up the proverbial mountain? Pretty revelatory.

Also, beer is fun.

 

Yes I know it's from Shaun of the Dead, not The World's End. So sue me.

And, amidst all of this jovality, dear reader, I've even found a good ol' fact of the day for you, courtesy of my Uncle Ron.

#36: Back in the day, but as recently as the 1970s, shoe stores used x-ray machines to check the fit of one's foot within the shoe.

Yeah. This was an extremely common thing, apparently, but I had absolutely no idea. This threw me entirely for a loop. I'm sure your mind, as mine did, immediately leapt to the health concerns involved. Apparently, for those thrusting their feet into the x-rays, it was just fine. But for the shoe store clerks who were consistently putting their hands under said x-rays over and over again? Less harmless. 

Damn science, you scary. 

And with that, to bed. Tomorrow: the beach! And yes, I realize in Vancouver I have my pick of countless beaches on any given day. But in Ontario, beach day is a wonderful novelty, which makes it all the more exciting. And thus, I shall do justice to it. By sleeping. For a change.

Excelsior!