NOMADLAND

Nomadland (2020) directed by Chloé Zhao. A melancholy film that feels like a modern/updated version of The Grapes of Wrath. It's about loss, loneliness, community, freedom, humanity, and the beauty of being alive, the beauty of other people, the beauty of this nation. Frances McDormand lives in her role.

I'll be thinking about this film for quite some time. This is a "must see."

Streaming on Netflix.

PRESENCE

3 of 5 in my series of worship folder cover art for the Sundays of August. The pastors are focusing on the Old Testament lectionary texts, working with the theme of "Restoration and Renewal." Once I created the first paper cut collage, the others came to me in quick succession. It was serious play!

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"Presence"
Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

KATSU BURGER

KATSU BURGER! Katsu Curry pork burger + fries with nori flakes + miso honey mustard dipping sauce + black cherry soda. Heavenly!

Adventure Time with The Wife, who had the flagship Tokyo Katsu beef burger.

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The crunch of the burger was perfect. It added texture. The ingredients were well-balanced and I can honestly say this was one of the best burgers I've ever had. Next time, I want to try beef.

GRAVE of the FIREFLIES

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) directed by Isao Takahata. This is one of the most melancholy Studio Ghibli films I've ever seen. For that matter, it's simply one of the most melancholy films I've ever seen. It is the story of two Japanese orphans trying to survive the last few months of the war amidst firebombings, deaths, starvation, and neglect from other family members and adults of the area. They eventually carve out a small paradise for themselves, but it comes at a cost.

(The person who picked the film to watch didn't realize it was the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, which added to the solemnity of the viewing.)

Highly recommended.

Streaming on Netflix.

SILENCE

2 of 5 in my series of worship folder cover art for the Sundays of August. The pastors are focusing on the Old Testament lectionary texts, working with the theme of "Restoration and Renewal." Once I created the first paper cut collage, the others came to me in quick succession. It was serious play!

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"Silence"
1 Kings 19:9-18

WOOBLING

I was TODAY years old when I discovered Korean BBQ. This might be humanity's greatest invention ever—a grill right in the middle of the table (the top of which they switched out seven times during our meal) and all-you-can-eat meat and side dishes. Spectacular!

(We've made bulgogi at home for years, but this was leveling up!)

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026) directed by Olivia Newman. Remember the outrage when Deckard's voiceover was added for the original theatrical release of Bladerunner? Now imagine Deckard is a CGI octopus, and you have this film. The story of the broken people in this film is predictable and meant to tug at heartstrings. (It's related to The Odyssey because the main storyline is about what constitutes home, and returning to it.) Plus it ends with a big old Hollywood happy ending plus the cherry on top of the sundae plus the chef's kiss. Like the gum stuck on the floor of the aquarium lobby that is one of the movie's main sets, "it's gross."

And don't even get me started on the arrogance of the octopus character or it's strange behaviors and movements!

Streaming on Netflix.

ABUNDANCE

1 of 5 in my series of worship folder cover art for the Sundays of August. The pastors are focusing on the Old Testament lectionary texts, working with the theme of "Restoration and Renewal." Once I created the first paper cut collage, the others came to me in quick succession. It was serious play!

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"Abundance"
Isaiah 55:1-5

BON ODORI

Bon Odori. Tacoma Buddhist Temple. 

 

Good food. Good friends. Brief worship. Dancing for the ancestors. Taiko drumming.

ANGINE de POITRINE

VOL. 1 (2024) and VOL. II (2026) by Angine de Poitrine.

Did you ever wonder what it sounds like when a Pokémon creature evolves through its various stages?

Angine de Poitrine is a Québécois math rock duo, consisting of Khn de Poitrine on microtonal guitar and bass and Klek de Poitrine on drums. Think progressive rock meets jazz meets klezmer music meets layered guitar loops, with a peppering of techno. It's wild. I've watched videos of them playing in their black-and-white polka-dotted costumes and makeup, and can't quite figure out how they do what they do. Obviously, they practice and practice and practice.

Recommended if you like Primus or Battles or King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard or Writhing Squares or instrumental Devo, but don't actually expect it to sound like any of those. This is its own unique thing, and I absolutely love it!

THE RETURN

The Return (2024) directed by Uberto Pasolini. There are no gods and no monsters in this version of The Odyssey. The narrative starts with Odysseus washing up on the shores of Ithaca. This is a family drama, a homecoming, that meditates upon how war and distance and absence and loss transform someone in ways, perhaps unimaginable and unreturnable. And there are others (the suitors) to get out of the way before intimacy can be revisited.

Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus and Juliette Binoche as Penelope carry the film. The rest of the cast doesn't really have much to do other than orbit around the couple at the center of the story., or doesn't know how to live into their roles, or both; they are caricatures and shadow puppets.

The colors of this film are rich, and the cinematography is scrumptious. The film is a slow burn with a satisfying scene of Odysseus slaying the suitors, although I actually wish it had been a bit more intense.

It's good and I would see it again, but this won't be everyone's goblet of wine.

Streamed on Kanopy, via the Pierce County Library System.

RAKUSU

Yin and yang. Washing, drying, and ironing fabrics for my upcoming sewing project.

THE ODYSSEY

The Odyssey (2026) directed by Christopher Nolan. I really wanted to like this, but I found it corny and preachy. Plus, Nolan's wish to make a "more realistic" Odyssey (whatever that means) waters down the mythological and magical elements of much of the story. We also spend too much time in texts other than The Odyssey—Homer's Iliad, Virgil's Aeneid, the plays of the Oresteia (choose your playwright).

Scenes on the various islands on Odysseus's journey back home are fragmentary and neutered of much of their power. The various monsters lack any real monstrousness, and barely appear on screen. Then we get long and boring stretches in the palace with Penelope and the suitors.

And don't get me started on the fight scenes, which feel overly chaotic and strangely shot. Plus the sound design of them was overly loud, filled with reverb and feedback. No thanks.

Polyphemus the Cyclops has some interesting facial design, but then he posed in imitation of Goya's (circa 1823) "black painting" Saturn Devouring His Children while eating one of the men traveling with Odysseus, which I found pretentious.

I also don't know what was going on with the character of Agamemnon. He doesn't really speak. He's just a giant suit of glossy black armor with gold vertebrae on the back of the helmet. Is he supposed to be another monster? A symbol of death?

All in all, this film feels unbalanced to me. It's 2½ hour running time weighed upon me, and toward the end I wished it would just conclude.

Meh.

Watched on the big screen at Regal Cinemas.

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I seriously hope that someone will make a version of The Odyssey filmed in the animated style of Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (2018) and live into the gods and monsters of Homer's epic poem.

ROBE of LIBERATION

"Robe of Liberation," book binding twine, permanent marker, and Montana BLACK spray paint on cardboard. 

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A record of my rakusu journey.

I purchased the fabric to start making and sewing my rakusu. This is going to be a months-long project, but the first "baby" steps have been taken.

HAMNET

Hamnet (2025) directed by Chloé Zhao. We move through the seasons of a family's life—from the vibrancy of spring and romantic love through the summer of a house filled with children into an autumn of plague, pestilence, and death and into the muted colors of winter of grieving. Emotions mirror the cinematic colors that adorn the screen. A punch of red drains into dull browns. The climax of the film takes place at the initial showing of Hamlet in the Globe Theatre, and is imbued with the gravity of life and death—the landscape of one family writ large and universal. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal carry us along through their lives with a bittersweetness that reads as true, before visiting (a new) spring again. Highly recommended.

Streamed on Netflix.

LINEAGE

"Lineage," art marker and signature stamp on Montana BLACK spray paint on found cardboard.

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As part of my Buddhist journey toward possibly receiving the bodhisattva precepts, I'm capturing it in art. (I'm required to capture it in writing.)

This is an abstract representation of the lineage chart of buddhas and ancestors, with me at the bottom. My Troy chop mark peeks out of the spray paint haze, indistinct, which I really like.

I think my Mom's Feast Day, and reflecting on my personal lineage, helped solidify concepts that were bouncing around in my head for some time.

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lineage— 

winding blood dragon 

Buddha moon

SANDY FEST 9

Today is the ninth anniversary of my Mother's death, her Feast Day. Or, as I like to call it, Sandy Fest.

For number 9, I didn't originally have any art planned, but then an Instagram post that appeared in my feed provided inspiration. Modeling clay meets headstone. Modeling clay meets stamp pad. Modeling clay meets notecard. Modeling clay gets squished back to how it started. Repeat.

"Swim Free 2026" uses a tulip from a grave marker to serve as an octopus.

Mom, may you continue to rest in peace, as well as in God's embrace.

LONGLEGS

Longlegs (2024) directed by Osgood Perkins. I'm not quite sure what to think about this psychological horror film. It's a little bit Twin Peaks, a little bit Silence of the Lambs, a little bit 7even. It borrows some Annabelle and some Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In the midst of this are two stellar performances—"flat of all affect" (but we learn why) FBI agent Lee Barker, played by Maika Monroe; and the all-out "off his rocker" eponymous Longlegs, played by Nicholas Cage. The film takes place in 1990s semirural Oregon, and is beautifully captured on film in blues and ambers.

Kids, don't talk to strangers!

Streaming on Hulu.

THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION

The Freeze-Frame Revolution (2018) by Peter Watts. This novella is told from the perspective of Sunday, a young woman who has been genetically-engineered to serve on an asteroid-ship as it circles the galaxy building wormhole gates for the rest of humanity to use as they navigate the universe. Most of the builds are completed by the mission's artificial intelligence, Chimp. Humans are necessary on certain builds, though, so various mission members are thawed out for a few days or few weeks, complete their tasks, and then head back to cryogenic slumber. They've been functioning this way for about 65 million years, when a revolution takes place amongst the human crew, hoping to release themselves from the bonds of serving Chimp. I found the story strange and compelling. I don't think I completely understand the "hard" science fiction, but I don't need to entirely comprehend the (quantum) mechanics to enjoy the narrative. Recommended.

There are also (currently) seven related short stories on Watts's website. They comprise his Sunflower cycle of stories.

Checked out from the Puyallup Public Library.

GLOSS

I am studying the sixteen bodhisattva precepts.

In the program in which I'm enrolled, we have to write glosses on each of the precepts. "[P]ut your reflections into a gloss, usually a paragraph on each precept, though it can become a creative project, as well." So I created "dharma gates" to represent each of the precepts. 

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The Three Treasures are in blue. The Three Tenets (Pure Precepts) are in red. The Ten Mindfulness Practices are in yellow.

Marks-A-Lot permanent marker on Montana Black spray paint on cardboard. Japanese kanji on labels.

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Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to master them.

Dharmas are boundless; I vow to comprehend them.

Reality is boundless; I vow to perceive it.

 
The third of the four Bodhisattva/All-Embracing Vows, in three translations/expressions: (1) Sonoma Mountain Zen Center; (2) Kazuaki Tanahashi; (3) Upaya Zen Center.

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I don't regard my life
as insufficient.
Inside the brushwood gate
there is a moon;
there are flowers.
 
—the poet Ryōkan, translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi

LOVING VINCENT

Loving Vincent (2017) directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman. Imagine the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh meet Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly (2006). The film was shot with live actors against a green screen, then the resulting film was projected onto canvases and painted in oil paints, in the style of Van Gogh, by more than 100 artists. Then the paintings were filmed again (maybe?) and rotoscoped and whatnot. Anyway, it's a visually stunning and wild animated film that took six years to make. It wrestles with the notion of identity and the truth (or truths) surrounding Van Gogh's attempted suicide by gunshot (or was it murder?) that was indeed fatal two days later. Is the story accurate and strictly biographical? No and no, but the speculation and competing truths is what lends the film some of its gravitas. Recommended.

Streaming on Netflix.

OBSESSION

Obsession (2025) directed by Curry Barker. There are some wild Generation Z and Millennial horror films being made right now, and this is one of them. "It's not a romance, but a love story." It nods to plenty of predecessors—Single White Female, The Exorcist, Weapons—while navigating its own path. If you liked It Follows, this will provide the same intensity and unstoppable pursuit. If you liked Fatal Attraction, this will provide the same off-kilter (and stomach-churning) madness. If you liked Big, then this is the horror version. (This was The Wife's observation.) There were some classic jump scares that caught the entire audience off guard, even when they almost announced themselves. Recommended.

Watched at the Grand Cinema in Tacoma.

TRON: ARES

Tron: Ares (2025) directed by Joachim Rønning. Corny and contrived, this movie tries way too hard. It borrows concepts from Bladerunner and The Matrix that were done better there. Beautiful, but hollow. The soundtrack is initially interesting, but becomes repetitive. Jared Leto: what the hell? Can you even try to act? This isn't a modeling gig. It feels, and is filmed, like a standard MCU film. If it wasn't Tron-related, I would have thought it was an Avengers installment. Somewhere between meh and thumbs down.

Streaming on Disney+.

SEND HELP

Send Help (2026) directed by Sam Raimi. Imagine Castaway and Misery have a baby. Also, its raised in a household that encourages the watching of "forced buddies" movies and the "ugly duckling right in front of your face" films. And here we are. It's not a bad film, but it's also nothing special. It's billed as a dark comedy horror film, but the horror is just a couple of gratuitous scenes of gore. And the funny is more camp than anything. I think there may be a better film hiding somewhere in this gathering of overused film tropes. Meh.

Streamed on Hulu.

BACKROOMS

Backrooms (2026) directed by Kane Parsons. I am unfamiliar with the original creepypasta or the short videos by Parsons that it relies upon as foundations, so I can only explore other echoes I see in the film. First, the "backrooms" feel like some of the landscapes in the Portal 2 videogame. Literature-wise, I get vibes of The Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman), Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (Lewis Carroll), Slade House (David Mitchell), The Fall of the House of Usher (Edgar Allan Poe). Are there nods to fellow contemporary horror filmmakers? Maybe. If so, then especially Barbarians and Weapons (both by Zack Cregger). It's a psychological horror film, but I found it more weird than scary. It even has its moments of absurd humor, at which I found myself laughing out loud. A couple of segments of "found footage" remind me of The Blair Witch Project. It may sound like a bunch of parts of things smashed together, much like the backrooms themselves, but I think it works as its own thing, too. I liked it.

(I think it may also take a few jabs at "artificial intelligence," but that may just be my own bias coming through.)

((It is also a meditation on memory and mental illness, while remaining fairly neutral on the latter; it lets the characters be who they are, for good or ill.))

Viewed at The Grand Cinema, Tacoma.

THE HEART SUTRA

I finished reading The Heart Sutra: A Comprehensive Guide to the Classic of Mahayana Buddhism (2014) by Kazuaki Tanahashi. This is one of my favorite types of books: one that tackles a single subject and explores it in depth. ("Comprehensive" is in the subtitle.) Tanahashi explores the provenance of The Heart Sutra in its Sanskrit and Chinese forms, and in various translations and renderings into other languages—Japanese, Tibetan, Nepalese, English, and others. He looks at modern and recent scholarship, and provides his own translation with co-authorship by Roshi Joan Halifax. But one of the most important sections is 70 pages of examining terms and concepts in the Sanskrit and Chinese versions and explaining them in detail. This is a book I will be returning to again and again.

LIVING SANCTUARIES

Living Sanctuaries: Monasteries of Zanskar (2025) by Tenzin Tsetan Choklay. Studio Nyandak, an architectural firm with offices in New York and Dharamshala, is measuring monasteries in the Zanskar Valley, a remote area in the Himalayas, in the hope of protecting them from the advancing forces of progress. These monasteries, built between the 2nd and 14th centuries, have been damaged by earthquakes, and are being threatened by climate change, declining numbers of monks, increasing exposure due to roads being built nearby, and populations moving to cities because of poverty and opportunities. Studio Nyandak's work involves young Tibetan architects and engineers making sure that monks are involved in the preservation work, the monasteries remain "living buildings" and not museums, and that local and traditional materials are used as much as possible. It's a beautiful documentary; I only wish it were longer.

Viewed as the May 2026 entry in the Tricycle Film Club.

SITTING and SWORDS

A beautiful evening in the backyard dojo. First, swords. Then, sitting. Zen threaded through it all.

THE CRASH

The Crash (2026) directed by Gareth Johnson. This true crime documentary couldn't have been made in an earlier era.* It uses found footage, primarily from emergency responder body cams, law enforcement recordings, and courtroom recordings; along with friend and family interviews. But also includes a ton of social media videos and posts from the youth involved in the crash that provides the title for the film. Mackenzie Shirilla survived the 100 m.p.h. impact that killed her boyfriend and a mutual friend of theirs. She conveniently cannot remember anything of the crash or what immediately precedes it. However, she has lived her entire life "performing" for social media. Is she still playing a role? Did she kill her boyfriend in cold blooded murder? The narrative of the film was well-constructed by the filmmakers but I wouldn't want to watch it again.

*Social media posts galore + a treasure trove of text messages + black box car data + footage from multiple security/surveillance cameras = information overload.

Streaming on Netflix.

BLOEDEL RESERVE

Bloedel Reserve. Bainbridge Island. A beautiful day in a wonderfully curated set of gardens with excellent company.

GARDENING GALORE!

I wish I had taken a before photo. 125 square feet. 2 days. Removing grass, morning glory, horsetail, cranesbill, and other assorted weeds. Turning the soil by shovel, both full-size and hand-held. Then pulling out as many roots and runners as possible.

During all of this, trying to put worms, grubs, and chrysalides back into safe spots. Having conversations with the Stellar's jay that keeps visiting and inspecting my work. Planting new bulbs and giving old bulbs some TLC.

All in all, a glorious weekend!

BEEF

Beef season two (2026) created by Lee Sung Jin. This season is less crazy than I remember season one being, but it definitely holds its own. The cynical world of this season revolves around those who work at a posh country club. Are these people really any better than those elite rich they serve each day? No. Performances are strong, especially those of the four principals, but I'm not sure any of these characters are likable. Relatable? Perhaps. It depends on how much you embrace your own sinfulness. This is a set of tales of loneliness, betrayal, corruption, incompetence, feigned love, and faux friendship. Capitalism is held up as the natural next step in evolution, a true social Darwinism. I actually liked it, although I'm not sure I recommend it.

Streamed on Netflix.

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Ants crawl across the scenes, here and there, as though freed from the fine art title cards—reminders of our mundane and mortal lives. Buzz buzz.

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Remember the notion of always keeping custody of your drinks? Bring on the paranoia after multiple breaches of social norms regarding beverages. 

NO SELF, NO PROBLEM

"Perhaps the reason Buddhism and other spiritual traditions use metaphors so frequently is because they sidestep the gatekeeping functions of the interpretive mind."

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No Self, No Problem: How Neurobiology Is Catching Up to Buddhism (2019) by Chris Niebauer. Peek behind the Matrix of your own mind by reading this book. The short take: your left brain "interpreter" is lying to you about almost everything, as it spins story after story and keeps your non-verbal right brain enslaved. Each chapter ends with a way or two to explore and/or experience the concepts it presents. This was a fascinating and brisk read. I highly recommend it.

Checked out from the Puyallup Public Library.

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"Compassion is all about the big picture, at which the right brain excels. I would add that true compassion only occurs when we can imagine ourselves in the position of another."

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"Maybe you meditate, practice mindfulness, and feel very spiritually grounded when you do, and later the ego comes back online and is frustrated to find out that you've run out of coffee."

WHITE RIVER DGC

I played at White River Disc Golf Course this morning. It was a morning of MANY tree shots, balanced out with THREE pole hits on the second throw (holes 10, 12, and 13).

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My two champion discs of the day...

Gateway Apache Driver (purple disc). It allowed me to make some nice straight drives in tight spaces. It also stands out against green vegetation better than translucent yellow! Plus, it was owned by my friend Derek prior to his death; so he's out on the course with me, too.

Latitude 64° Mirus Midrange. This is my go to disc for forehand throws and bending around obstacles. (I'm primarily a backhand thrower.) I also used it as a "hammer" to go over a few trees.

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The weather was beautiful! Sunny and sunny and sunny in the woods.

DANCING with UNCERTAINTY

"Dancing with Uncertainty: Buddhist Pathways to Climate Resilience" with Dr. Stephanie Kaza was an excellent presentation, hosted by Pacific Lutheran University's Religion and Environmental Studies departments for Earth Day.

It was a "slow presentation," in the spirit of the "slow food" movement—something to be savored in the company of the like-minded. Contemplative slides allowed the audience (and presenter) moments to pause between sets of ideas and concepts. And The Child pointed out that none of the images of nature were "alarmist"—no photos of strip mines or clear cuts—but rather celebratory in some sense. Perhaps images of nature on its own terms, which I found intriguing and hopeful.

This is going to stick with me for some time.

ONE-DAY SIT

Now sit steadfastly and think not-thinking. How do you think not-thinking? Beyond thinking.

—from "Fukanzazengi" by Dōgen

 

My spot of "focus" for the day, although not really "seen" for most of that time, except indistinctly.

 

I'm exhausted but in a good way, even though I mostly sat staring at a wall.