okay to eat
Last night I watched a movie for review that I got very confused about the online screener, which I'd gained access to via SIFF: turs out I could have watched it as early as last Friday, which was also the day it was released on VOD for $5.99 payment—I just got to watch for free. The emails had been sent out saying "screener and Q&A" with a date of 5 p.m. on Monday February 8; I thought it was an oddly early time (it's usually 7 p.m. for these things) and also unusual to be saying it would be on Zoom.
What I did not realize was, we would be emailed separately on February 5 with a link to the screener, and then the Zoom Q&A with filmmakers and cast (I think), was happening at 5 p.m. on Monday. And as I finally watched the movie last night after finding the email in my Hotmail Junk folder that indeed had given me the screener link, I really wished I had already watched the movie so I could watch the Q&A. I could have watched the Q&A before watching the screener, but didn't really have time. Still, Little Fish was a movie filmed in 2019 about a global virus (!) which, in the world of the movie, makes everyone lose their memories. And then the film's release wound up being postponed by . . . a pandemic. I'd have loved to hear them talk about that.
As it was, the movie was quite well made within its clear constraints budget-wise, but it did not look cheap at all, had very slick and well-done cinematography, and, well, serviceable dialogue. The thing about it was, although I still wrote a B+ review, it was also incredibly sad, and hit close to home in many clearly unintended ways. I could never recommend anyone else watch it right now, and I probably would have avoided it upon hearing about it in any other context, but I can never turn down a free screening. Also I love Olivia Cooke, who was great in both Thoroughbreds and last year's Sound of Metal. In this movie, she was . . . fine. It's really the concept and the story that sells this movie more than the performances, but again, it was also incredibly sad.
In any case, I watched the movie between roughly 5:00 and 6:00, then spent the better part of an hour writing the review.
After that, while Shobhit was attending his online Project Management class, I drove to the office to swap out paperwork. I was there late enough this time, no one else was in there at all, until right before I left, I think I might have heard a maintenance person somewhere.
The last chocolate chip cookie in that one-dozen packet in the Merchandising freezer was still there! I celebrated by nuking it in the office kitchen for 37 seconds, then eating it while standing out on that balcony with the view I love and miss so much. It's a particularly nice view at night. I had to prop open the door with my shoulder bag, as now there are signs on those doors: they are locked, and if I didn't prop open the door I could have locked myself out there. Imagine having to call Shobhit to come and get me, and me having to drop the digital building key over the railing to him five stories below. Would I have just waited on the balcony until he was done with his class? Hmm . . . well, it's a good thing I just made sure I didn't lock myself out there.
I also swiped a handful of chocolate bars out of the Merchandising pantry and brought them home. Sometimes I take stuff out of there for which there is some ambiguity as to whether I truly have permission to do that, but these were from a shelf now labeled with tape that reads OKAY TO EAT. I also grabbed a box of disposable face masks out of a storage closet, which seemed slightly more iffy but is still probably fine. Don't tell anyone!
Oh, and yesterday I had mentioned I had four different instances of socializing planned this weekend: that's now gone back down to three. Friday's Virtual Happy Hour with Laney, at her request, has been rescheduled for right after work tonight. We had already agreed we would do this one just over the phone, as she is not near any place with good wifi—she's at a very remote spot on the Gulf Coast in Texas—but, she also plans to move on to her next destination tomorrow and doesn't even know how good her cell reception will be as of Friday. So, it's tonight instead. Fine by me!
I still have another Happy Hour rescheduled with Tracy for Saturday, and then semi-tentatively, 1993 Movie Draft with Gabriel and Lea that same evening. Sunday is Valentine's Day, and right now we are planning to have brunch with Sachin at a place with outdoor seating. This is an iffy prospect at the moment, as right now they are talking snow this weekend. We'll see whether that pans out, but either way it's likely to be very cold, and even with space heaters around, I don't know how easily we'll pull that off. I still won't eat indoors anywhere though and I still don't want Sachin visiting inside the condo so long as none of us has been vaccinated. So, Sunday is kind of up in the air right now.
[posted 12:36 pm]