Movie Review plus Memoir

Wednesday afternoon, even though I could’ve used a NAP after a miserably restless night (between my weak bladder and thunderstorms disturbing the dogs), I took myself to an afternoon matinee: “The Whale” starring that former heartthrob Brendan Fraser. While his breakthrough role was “The Mummy” in 1999, I have fond memories of him as George of the Jungle - I really, really liked that cartoon as a kid!

Anyway, it was disconcerting to see those piercing blue eyes and familiar voice coming from an almost unrecognizable character in a grotesque fat suit.

I thought it was a great movie, even though it is quite obviously adapted from a stage play. Two thumbs up from Val, it also evoked memories of my not-quite-so complicated family history.

I’m sure I mentioned this way back when (SparkPeople days), but morbid obesity runs in my family: both of my dad’s sisters were obese as well as several of my cousins - and my dad fought his tendency to gain weight easily for his entire life, until dementia wiped that concern from his consciousness. I’m not throwing that out there as another damnable excuse: Waaaaah! It’s my genetics - between that and my thyroidectomy, perhaps my situation is hopeless?!? Anyway, as we all know, it’s more complicated than that - bad dietary habits abounded as I grew up watching that side of the fam load up their plates (every family gathering was centered around an abundant meal), with quarts of soda or sweet tea to wash things down.

Aunt Martha passed away at what increasingly sounds like the relatively young age of 69. I know I’ve written of how she & her oldest daughter, cousin Suzie, both underwent old-style intestinal bypass surgery back in the ‘70’s, but Suzie died of sepsis postoperatively. She was 26. Aunt Martha initially lost a tremendous amount of weight, but gained it all back. Lewis Edward was not predicted to survive long, with heart problems surfacing in his late 30’s - we lost him at 47, while his younger sister Janice Lee went to sleep but didn’t wake up at age 42. Her sole surviving offspring is my cousin Clifford who has had brief success with weight loss, but with this past decade’s struggles with knee replacements and his family history of heart issues, appears to have given up . Clifford reminds me uncomfortably of myself with my half-assed keto efforts - setting bread aside, for instance, while still eating plenty of the main courses and saving room for dessert.

At any rate “The Whale” stirred up all these old memories and here I sit drinking my coffee and wondering how I’ll stagger through another day