Carey's Reading Notes

 Killers of The Flower Moon (2023) directed by Martin Scorsese Although lengthy at 3 hours, I enjoyed the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro were superb, despite the fact that both played despicable characters. I appreciated learning about the true events in American history. The Osage Nation in Oklahoma enjoyed great wealth from oil on their land. But an estimated 60 Osage were killed in a series of murders in the 1920's and the movie zooms in on murders in one particular family. So much greed, violence and corruption over oil wealth - I felt disgusted, but at the same time, not surprised. There are unexpected funny moments that alleviate the intensity felt by the escalating violence. I found it interesting that in Osage culture, Wakonda is a name for God, an all pervasive life force. This is what Wakanda from Black Panther movies is from. Now I know.

Livingood Daily (2023) by Dr. Livingood Social media ad got me (book is free, just pay for shipping!). Dr. Livingood makes some good points about the sad reality of healthcare in the US, how doctors care for you only when you are sick or in a crisis, instead of giving you tools to achieve and maintain health. It's an expensive "sickcare" system. Although many of his arguments are r epetitive or simplistic (but that may be by design!), I found some content interesting. For example, what does it mean to be healthy? When your organs are functioning at somewhere between 0 and 100%, at which point would you start to notice something is wrong? The answer is apparently somewhere between 20 and 60%, depending on the organ. Although his sources seem anecdotal, it makes intuitive sense. We can be at an advanced stage of a disease before feeling any discomfort. We may finally convince ourselves to go see a doctor when we feel pain, and our organ(s) may have fallen to only 50% fun...

  Mother Canoe We meet every weekday at noon To bring us back to ourselves Today Amy led us on a meditation practice called RAIN by Tara Brach Recognize - be curious of where we are with our body and thoughts Allow - accept where we are without judgement Investigate - examine what it is like to be ourselves Nurture - practice compassion about where we are and how we are feeling When we do a silent meditation In solitude or in company of others It is like we each float in a tiny canoe Being swept by wind and waves, we explore Creeks, streams and canals we are not supposed to And mindful of steep waterfalls We try our best to stay on the river But when we are guided in our meditations It is like our tiny canoes float inside a giant mother canoe Gliding down the river together, protected from the elements Gently reminded to stay on course We may wander but never too far or for too long Mindfulness meditation is where I rest my mind and take a breath A journey taken together feels bett...

She Came To Me (2023) directed by Rebecca Miller I liked this movie more than I thought I would. The trailer didn't do justice to the cinematic beauty and gentle flow of this romantic comedy. It is sweet that all the main characters find love and healing in the end. The young girl in love, played by Harlow Olivia Calliope Jane, is nervous about whether she would change and forget about the significant moments of her life after they are over. I remember when I was ten years old, I thought to myself I'm ten now and life will never be the same. I will never look at the world with these same eyes again. Now at forty-two, I think about how I am living my life, daring to be creative, grow and be a better partner to my husband, and devote time and energy to activities and people that make me happy. For a while, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get employed and the guilt, insecurity and rejections got me down. But now, a job offer is coming, and like that young...

Steps (1968) by Jerzy Kosinski After reading The Painted Bird by the same author, this novel reads like recounting by the same boy that has grown up. And similar to the earlier work, some stories in this novel sound autobiographical: working as a ski instructor, teaching in a communist society, and immigrating to the US. Brutal acts are observed and carried out by the main character seemingly without conscience, which is different from the earlier work where the boy struggles with morality. The immigrant stories are fantastical and movie-like and made me wonder if becoming part of the underworld was that commonplace in the 1960's. As an immigrant myself, I enjoyed the poetic description of how one wishes to be affixed to that seat in the airplane, in that sky, to be frozen forever in that state between the past and the future. It is difficult to face the future as an immigrant, especially if so much was sacrificed to create it. It should feel like a new beginning but pr...