Tech Problem Trifecta and Living Large

[davetheanalyzer]

Last weekend was a trifecta of technical problems. On Saturday, our wifi suddenly went out. I observed Dad and helped what little I could to find what the problem was. I was concerned when the wifi box smoked as Dad experimented with it but after cutting some wires and testing their voltage, he brought the Internet back, even if it went in and out for a bit. Then Dad needed my help to fix air conditioning for a live-in relative’s car. It seems like some wires were reversed since it only worked when the car was off. With high 90s heat coming, Dad had to come up with a solution. He couldn’t figure out where the problem was and how to reverse it, so he made a stopgap that would bypass the problem (I’m being vague in case it breaks some law). Then last Monday, the wifi kept slowing and then going out, leading to Dad having to grumpily reset it twice. It was stressful. I tried to follow what he was saying but his explanations weren’t always intuitive. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fix things and figure out problems like he does. I also dealt with a slowing laptop but I think I got to redo some of it by changing to having the highest power plan.

I saw the Czech film Living Large. It came out last year but only came to American shores this year apparently. My mom loves theater and knows the boy who was chosen to dub the main character into English. It was a bit uncomfortable trying to watch in a setting where guests sat around tables and the screen was a bit far back on a theater stage. But I thought it was pretty good. It’s about Ben who’s a fat kid and foodie part of a band. He has a crush on Claire but as he starts a new grade in school, he gets a report about needing to lose weight. Of course this leads to him becoming insecure, especially when bullies harass him wherever he goes. The comments from teachers and parents to kids felt sadly realistic. Ben would have dreams and fantasies animated in a psychedelic 2d I like. His anxieties appear in his dreams, which’s understandable. This also effects his band practice with his friends Eric and Sonia. After they mention needing a keyboardist, I immediately suspected Claire was going to join the band after Ben passed her house and heard her playing the piano. I did find Ben following her home a bit stalkery. At least his grandma seems to not mind his weight. But when Claire said she doesn’t return his feelings, he crumbles and throws his diet regiment out the window.

He ignores Claire and starts lashing out, whether to friends or bullies. He even withdraws from his band, even though a concert’s coming up. Eventually, he just sleeps in bed all day. He almost seems to lose the will to live but then his father’s new wife appears to talk him down, comparing his situation to her losing her leg and needing a prosthetic. which was foreshadowed in an earlier scene. So he’s able to put himself back together and his mother is able to make peace with this new woman. I remembered earlier in the film Claire hanging out with Ben’s friends but after Ben makes up with her, he seems to introduce her to the band? At least they do a song which the school cheers for, including those who didn’t treat him right. It seems like Ben will still do some exercise but he’s no longer as concerned about regulating his diet. It’s ambiguous but I get the impression he accepts Claire as just a friend and that’s as valuable. I can’t judge if this was a reliable depiction of a fat person, there’s endless fat jokes, his voice actor isn’t fat, there’s bullying, incel-adjacent behavior, and some near suicidal actins but if this film sounds up your alley, feel free to look it up.

That’s all for now. I recovered from having a tooth filling redone today and will have to go back at the end of July for the other fillings to be fixed. Free Palestine and no war with Iran. Until the end of July, see you!