How much of our daily energy gets consumed by bad habits? As I have wondered over and over, where does the time go?
What are we spending it on, and is it worth it?
We’re not out there, hunting the wildebeest. At least I don’t think you are. Tigers aren’t chasing us.
And yet, we’re more anxious than we’ve ever been.
Why is that?
I am the guiltiest of guilty when it comes to this. I have, and have been consistently for most of my life, overencumbered by things that I have accepted upon myself to do.
Quite often without the commensurate income that I should expect with those heapings of responsibilities.
Even now, as I wade through employment, a stack of creative projects (my own), the consultations on others’ or co-owned creative projects, the daily, systematic routines I attempt to adhere to (mostly in vain), and the dozen or so long-ranging goals I’ve set for myself, I think:
WTF.
An entertaining movie. I enjoyed it, but I think I’m a bit soft on it. It felt like a movie that was trying very hard to find itself, but just didn’t quite make it.
Peter Parker is Spider-Man (spoiler), and everyone knew it. But at the end of No Way Home, the mystical magical arts of Dr. Strange erased everyone’s memory of Peter Parker.
So, Spider-Man has been living like this for presumably about four years. In early scenes, you see him take down Scorpion (who returns) and Tombstone (who does not). Figuring out the villain aspect, I don’t know, felt less fleshed out. There was a “villain” they wanted to introduce, and it all felt like setup. Then, in real time, we see Frank Castle as Punisher, played by the delightful Jon Bernthal.
It starts off as a detective story, with Holland’s Parker mourning his love, MJ, who no longer remembers him. Then shifts to an extortion plot, where this newly revealed villain gets Parker to help by threatening MJ. Then a siege movie, with a cameo by the Hulk — which felt unnecessary. And finally, a revenge story on the road to redemption.
Look, fine — a movie can be a lot of things. But I don’t think this one navigates the tonal shifts all that effectively.
Do we want Peter to get back with MJ? Maybe. Someone suggested that removing MJ entirely makes it more compelling, and I might agree. But I really like Ned, and maybe it’s good to keep him in there.
Then there was the whole Jean Grey problem, which — huge spoiler — but I feel like I haven’t heard much about that in the interim since the film’s release, and subsequent billion dollar box office. But I digress. Look, the first two-thirds of the movie, JG is a bad guy? Killing, no problem. Attacking and mind-shifting across New York? Whatever. Then, once you find out why she’s bad, she’s suddenly not so bad? No, it didn’t work.
Not for me.
Florence Pugh was a highlight, and I would watch her in anything she does. I’m a fan of the trio as well — Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon (who plays Ned). I think there were some great moments in this. Some chances taken, and a lot of good filmmaking. But I think it lacks the fun of the previous three Spider-Man movies, which, to me, is Holland’s strongest appeal as the character.
Is something being fun enough reason to do it? Is it a hobby? Is it something you can enjoy filling your time with?
Does it matter if it has no commercial practicality? Especially if, like many, you spend most of the day chasing financial stability.
It’s good to have something you can enjoy and spend free time on.
Without paying attention, I’ve made it to two months of daily posting. It’s a small milestone, but meaningful.
There’s a purpose for daily posting. Several, in all likelihood. For me, at least.
The first is, and probably the most important: getting into the routine is the biggest part of the battle.
Second, and nearly as important — if I post daily, even if one here and there really sucks eggs, there are so many more coming out consistently that they get lost to history.
Can you go back and look? Certainly. Will you?
Unclear.
Third, and probably the practical reason — this trains me to observe. If I am actively observing, I have things to write about.
If I walk through the day passive, then… I get nothing on the page.
Is this story good enough to read? Is this manual helpful enough? Will this blog post not waste somebody’s time?
I think these are the questions that stall us.
But they are often the ones we should give much less time to.
And focus on the doing.
There are many ways to write something — not just in a mechanical sense, but in a methodological one.
When you write from a viewpoint, you alter your perception to accommodate it.
When we write fiction, we think in terms of structure. It’s storytelling.
That’s not to say nonfiction isn’t — though sometimes it isn’t.
What we write impacts, to a degree, how we write it.
But that isn’t the holdup with writing, I think.
No one really worries, again, I believe, about how they should write something. The question they ask themselves is: is this worth writing?
Things need doing. This is as true now as it’s ever been.
Everyone wants an immediate response. Everyone feels that their query is the most important thing.
For them, that might be true. Maybe for some, it actually is true.
But in all likelihood, that email that just came in – probably not up there. No matter what they want you to believe.
If I’m honest, I sometimes long for a simpler time. I love – looovvveee – the conveniences of the modern world. Online shopping? Yes please. International flights? You betcha! AI? Bring it on.
But, there had to be an unrivaled enjoyment to a day of labor in the sun; a family dinner; a book read by candlelight.
I understand that maybe not everyone would have the privilege. But, there are certain dreams each of us have that maybe not everyone understands.
July 2026
Books Bought:
Books Read:
It’s been a while since I’ve written consistently enough to think about the books I’ve been reading. And, I’ve been fairly busy, so even making time to read had it’s own challenges.
Yet here we are. Writing some of this, after a couple of trips. While on a flight back home, I had been hoping for a meal service, but it didn’t come. Preflight bourbon did, though, and several more in flight. That left me feeling pretty loose. I was still hungry after the two bags of chips as well.
I was reading Nasty Bits, which probably explained my overt preoccupation with food and beverage service. Not being one to delve too deeply into food culture, I was consequently only aware of Bourdain in the periphery. It was likely during the pandemic shutdown that I started watching his travelogues in earnest, and discovered that his style of reporting resonated with me.
There are several things when thinking about Bourdain. There’s his cooking – which, I wouldn’t be qualified to really write about, even if I had tried it. There’s his writing. I enjoyed Nasty Bits, and bought a copy of Kitchen Confidential as well. Hoping to read that next month.
Then, in a little fit of nostalgia, I read books 3-6 of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. I’d read them before, back in 2020, but I missed one or two releases in the series, and figured that, before I’d picked those up, I’d refresh myself on the books.
They are pretty easy reads, so I could get through them each in a day or two. I’ve visited Chicago a few times since then, which is where the books take place. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a wizard, though.
And, very briefly, I read a few chapters of Twain’s On Writing and Publishing. I was looking for something I never found and honestly can’t even name anymore
The purchases all had specific rationale, so we’ll see when I get around to reading them. Circling back to Bourdain, I picked up Kitchen Confidential, obviously still in the midst of a Bourdain rabbit hole. Sometimes, when I’m doing computer work and can manage the tv being on in the background, I’ll play reruns of No Reservations or Parts Unknown. The hardest part there is, being a vegetarian, there is some animal prep that I’m not crazy about.
The Hunger came recommended as some of the best film criticism being written right now, the kind of writing that actually has teeth to it, not just plot summary dressed up as analysis. On the Edge came recommended as a roadmap for taking chances, which tracks, since that’s more or less Nate Silver’s whole professional life.
The final two were two of four books in the Pit Dragon Chronicles. I found a good deal on those, but I still need to pick up the first two. Jane Yolen, the author, passed away in June. I knew these books because of the CBS Storybreak episode that adapted the first one, Dragon’s Blood. Looking it up, I was surprised to find the episode aired in 1985, so I’m not sure how I ended up seeing it. But I remember it clearly.
It’s that time of year again, where I volunteer some of my time to a film festival or two. I’m once again screening features for deliberation, and, per the instructions, I don’t get to share about those that I watch.
Now, I will be seeing movies, somewhere between 5-10 a week, for the next few months. But I don’t get to talk about them.
Which left me thinking about, what are some common things that I see in film festival submissions?
Here’s one thing, that’s universal about indie film making. It is, without hyperbole, easier now to make a film than at any point in history before. The barrier to entry is nearly nonexistent.
Now while that may mean quality varies widely, it is still an amazing time to be a filmmaker.
Michael's Musings 