Barca and Real Madrid played the latest edition of the clasico, and this one was a sight to behold. Barca returned to its possession style play en route to a 4-0 dismantling of the whites. The scoreline actually flatters Madrid as this game could have easily been 7-0, were it not for wasted chances by the Catalans.
While Barca did dominate possession like they did in years past, their attack was different this time. Rather than the ball flowing through the midfield, it flowed to the wings and then into the box time after time. These were not simply hopeful crosses. Rather, the wing players cut inside and disrupted Madrid's backline time and time again. All the credit goes to our coach Xavi Hernandez who has turned this team around in just a matter of weeks. Barca is now recognizable again, and a sight for sore eyes!
Only time will tell us if this win and the way Barca won herald a new, rediscovered identity. I can't wait to see what happens next!
On the surface, this movie is about an actor who lost his wife to a cerebral hemorrhage and who has gone to Hiroshima to direct "Uncle Vanya" by Chekhov. There, he is assigned a driver - a local young woman - to transport him to and from his home to the theater. However, the story is much deeper, and the depth of these main characters is slowly revealed over the two hours and fifty-nine minutes of this film.
We come to understand the traumas these two have gone through and how they have mostly been sleepwalking through life. It is only through the intimacy they develop that they achieve some measure of comfort and consolation.
Ironically, a thought came to me recently in the middle of the night well before I saw this movie. I jotted down that thought on my Ipad, and I happened to remember it today after reflecting on Drive My Car. In it I wrote, "What in the world can we ever truly understand? Perhaps the goal should be to simply understand ourselves. That alone would be a spectacular thing!"
"Drive My Car" teaches us that lesson and does so beautifully. I cannot recommend this film enough. It might just change your life.
On Wednesday, February 23, 2022, the invasion commenced from all directions. As I write this, the fighting continues and the Ukrainian capital is still in Ukrainian control. In a stunning move, President Volodomir Zolenksy explained to the nation that he was target number one for the Russians but that he would not flee. He encouraged all Ukrainians to stay and fight and take up arms. This show of strength was such a contrast to what we have come to expect from our leaders based on the politics of our current age. My heart breaks for the Ukrainian people, and the New York Times has had some particularly heartbreaking reporting from on the ground.
Though it is natural for us to feel helpless in this situation, there are things we can do to support Ukraine. Many organizations, including UNICEF, the Red Cross, are accepting donations. You can also contact your local conpressperson and senator and implore them to provide maximum sanctions and pressure on Russia. If you are religious, pray, hope, and talk to those you know about what is happening. We are also witnesses to this act of war. What we make of this moment and what we learn from it so that it does not happen again will be the measure of this moment.
I hope the angel in the square in Kyiv watches over its people, and I hope that our leaders, the Ukrainian people, and us may be strong like the Ukrainian trident and end this war and bring peace back to this innocent nation.
