The Magpie, 1868 by Claude Monet

doomscrolled on temu. bought a few gifts for myself, courtesy of my dad (thanks dad). i'm excited for the cardigan and vintage japanese ceramics. watched three movies for christmas. i never touched work at all. had dinner with J at capitol and had fun conversations throughout the night.

three quotes from each of the movies i watched.

#1 midnight in paris

i liked the overall mood and atmosphere of this movie. it felt comforting. i loved seeing those artists and writers come to life in the movie. and this movie made me want to learn french again. and got me addicted to "si tu vois ma mere" by sidney bechet.

Ernest Hemingway: I believe that love that is true and real creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving, or not loving well, which is the same thing. And when the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face like some rhino hunters I know, or Belmonte, who's truly brave

– midnight in paris

#2 the holiday

this movie played automatically after midnight in paris, and i was hooked my the intro, which is the quote below. i didn't expect much because of the reviews, but somehow it made me cry. might have something to do with being locked up in my room on christmas day, with family and loved ones far away.

Iris: I've found almost everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said "Journeys end in lovers meeting." What an extraordinary thought. Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I am more than willing to believe Shakespeare had. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives. It was Shakespeare who also said "love is blind". Now that is something I know to be true. For some quite inexplicably, love fades; for others love is simply lost. But then of course love can also be found, even if just for the night. And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The one that almost kills its victims. Its called unrequited love. Of that I am an expert. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, those of us who fall in love alone? We are the victims of the one sided affair. We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded. The handicapped without the advantage of a great parking space!

#3 four weddings and a funeral

watched this because of hugh grant, not a fan of the whole finding love at weddings. my favorite scenes were rowan atkinson as the wedding priest and the funeral speech. the poem recited during the funeral, 'Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone', is found below.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; For nothing now can ever come to any good.

W H Auden