Recent watching: 'Paradise' and 'The Secrets We Keep'

Watched a really interesting German SF movie recently called 'Paradise' about a future in which wealthy people can buy years of someone's life (if they're a dna match of some kind). It starts off with a 'donor scout' pitching selling 5, 10 years of lifetime to an 18-year-old in a refugee camp or some kind of 'slum'. So the donor scout gets radicalized over the course of the film, which is not the interesting part, nor is the desire of his partner to have children. What is interesting is the female characters: the head of the company AEON that does this, the head of the terrorist group that attacks them for it, the wife of the donor scout, who is forced to donate decades to settle a debt, the head of security for the company, for whom being young and strong is part of her job, and the choices THEY make that are more complicated and compelling. Dubbed in English. It was also cool to watch this film and how it portrayed refugees, poverty, right on the heels of watching a dubbed Danish miniseries called The Secrets We Keep, about two wealthy families and their Filipino au pairs, and the au pair system, all through a non-USA-centric lens. Good stuff.

Domaine Jean-Baptiste Ponsot Rully Premier Cru "Montpalais" 2019

I haven't tried many of Elden Selections' Premier Cru offerings,  they are of course more expensive, but I'm very glad I did because this is a lovely, lovely white burgundy wine.  Domaine Jean-Baptist Ponsot Premier Cru (2019), here .

"Gun-flint smoky minerality drives this ripe, old-vine fruit and elegant white flower complexity to great lengths. Extremely long finish, and the hallmark tension, even in old vine depth. Aging 12 months in barrels (20% of new oak barrels) and 3 months of assembly in mass."

sea and sun

Domaine Gilles Bouton Bourgogne Rouge 2019

Really enjoyed this one! "Generally considered the generic Burgundy wine, appellation Bourgogne, both red and white, can also be thought of as the model of what Burgundy wine should be. It is produced in almost all of the winemaking communes throughout Burgundy, and from the same grape varieties as the more specific appellations."

Domaine Gilles Bouton Bourgogne Rouge 2019

Cherubim. Flower.

Forest, Suggested

Sunrise, or maybe Sunset

Gong Fu Tea Service

I like having my morning tea gong fu style.  The tray has a built-in catch basin for spilled water (you 'wash' and discard the first steep or two).  The cup with lid is a gaiwan, used for brewing tea in multiple, small rounds.  The pitcher is a cha hai, for holding tea after brewing so everyone served gets the same experience rather than one person getting stronger or weaker tea than someone else.  Aaaaaand, tiny cup!

Birds in a Field, Vaguely

Apero Time

fuschia pine trees

Playing with some of my new colors

watercolor snacks box

Got my new watercolor snacks box - a book, a refillable palette with 12 colors, watercolors markers, pen, 3 brushes, and washi tape.

Which I promptly got messy.

And here's your closeup!

Julien Cruchandeau Hautes Cotes de Nuits 'Les Cabottes' 2019

Ooo, this is delicious! What a lovely red wine.

The vineyard is described as 'in transition' - "half of it is 60 years old; the other half a new plantation 6 years old. The two parts are fermented separately then assembled in to one cuvee. 2018 gave him lovely phenolic maturity, so he did a slow cold maceration. The result is enormous fruit and a wine accessible now. Beautiful Pinot Noir!"

No qualms about slapping that link up right here if you want to check it out: Hautes Cotes de Nuits - Les Cabottes - 2019.

nightscape

another tarot card

From a few days ago...