No quilting but boat and movie reviews.

I haven't been quilting. It's Fall cleanup time around here so I'm trying to get things done outside before it turns cold and rainy. I've also had insomnia a bit so I end up sleeping half the day away (it feels like anyway) .

Yesterday we decided it was time to put the boat away even though we've only used it a couple of times. There will be lots of times next  year to have fun on it. But we got it hooked up to the truck to back into the garage and it was such a nice warm day that we just couldn't put it away. So we jumped in the truck and off we went. We were the only ones on the river. Last time we went they had opened salmon fishing for two days so lots of people were out. Now there's no more salmon fishing but there were lots of salmon jumping. I told Bob to get closer, maybe one would jump into the boat :0) Unfortunately being a middle of the week workday there was too much smog to really enjoy the mountain view. They're quite a  ways from us anyway, about 50 miles.

I find it's really hard these days to find a really good movie. I'm not into violence, I'm not into the movies the younger ones watch. So we watch History television or TLC or something like that. But after the Emmys last Sunday I went looking for the movie Temple Grandin that won so many awards. I'm supremely ticked off that the Canadian Radio Commission won't allow us access to HBO series. We have a satellite dish but they know how to block the signal. Even if this movie hadn't won any I would have wanted to see it.

I first heard of Temple Grandin when Michael was diagnosed 15 years ago. She's an amazing woman. I've read two of her books. Her mother was told when Temple was 4 years old that Temple was autistic. She was non verbal. In the movie it showed the doctor (in 1951) telling the mother than it was her fault because the baby didn't bond with her. She hadn't hugged her enough. The only course of action was to institutionalize her - forever. This is complete rubbish, of course. But it is so "normal" for moms of autistic kids to feel like they've done something that caused it. Michael was about 5 when his problems started showing and I was horrified that it must have been something I'd done.

Temple's mom refused to believe the doctor. She knew Temple was in there somewhere, had gifts and capabilities that no one could see. The movie was great although too short for me. I wanted to know more. But it was very well done. It demonstrated the understanding between animals and autistics that researchers have just in the last 10 years or so begun to notice. Her mom pushed her to go to school. She ended up getting a PhD in animal husbandry and has designed 50% of the slaughter houses in the US. She knows what is calming and comfortable to the cattle. Even though building things her way is costly it saves in the long run because the cattle don't get spooked and things run smoothly. She's been able to become social and gives talks on being autistic and she's just the sweetest thing.

There are great movie trailers out there but I guess they're copyrighted cause I couldn't "capture" one to share. Click on the photo for a link to a YouTube video

The first time I went to rent Temple Grandin there were no copies available. The clerk knows Michael. She suggested a movie called My Name is Khan. I'd never heard of it. It's about a Muslim young man with Asperger's Syndrome (autistic) who's brother sponsors him to come to the US. I wasn't expecting much from it but boy was I wrong! I could tell from the moment it started that they knew what they were talking about Asperger wise anyway. The gait of Khan walking towards the airport is right on.

The movie has a lot of humorous parts. It adds balance to the more emotionally charging parts,  but it also shows the way it is. Asperger individuals think differently and they are completely honest, they can't tell a lie. I read one review by a person who said they felt annoyed by Khan at times. Story of my life. But I'm so used to it that I didn't notice it in the movie. Then 9/11 happens and it brings tragedy to his small family. The movie then is the story of him travelling America and writing a letter to his wife (yes, he actually does marry) in his journal of his travels. It's a very moving story and because of his differences he doesn't always know the appropriate action or words to use.

There are subtitles at the beginning of the movie and occasionally throughout but not so many that it detracts from the storyline and meaning of the movie. I believe it's a movie everyone needs to see.