I was telling my brother the other day about that documentary we watched last weekend. He hadn't seen it yet so I tried to give him a quick summary without spoiling the best parts. The cinematography was absolutely stunning especially the underwater sequences. I think the director really captured something special with the lighting choices in the cave scenes. My brother said he would check it out on Friday night. I might actually watch it again because I feel like I missed some details the first time around. There was this one scene near the end that had me holding my breath for like a full minute. Anyway it's rare that a film makes me feel that way these days. Most stuff feels pretty formulaic. But this one had a different energy to it.

I also recommended he watch the behind the scenes feature because they explained how they built those miniature sets. Apparently the whole cave system was a model made from foam and resin. I had no idea until I saw the making of. It makes me want to try building something like that myself even though I have zero experience with that kind of craft work.

Have you seen anything good lately? I need another recommendation because I'm running out of things to watch.

You know I finally tried making sourdough from scratch last weekend. I used that starter my neighbor gave me back in March which has been sitting in my fridge for way longer than I'd like to admit. The first loaf came out a little dense but the flavor was actually pretty good. I think I need to let it proof a bit longer next time. My daughter said it reminded her of the bread we had at that little cafe in Portland last summer which I took as a huge compliment. I'm already planning my next attempt. I want to try adding some rosemary and sea salt on top. My neighbor said her recipe is foolproof so I'm going to stick with it until I get the hang of things.

I also picked up a new cast iron skillet at the market last week and I've been seasoning it according to the instructions. It's already starting to develop that nice nonstick surface. I made cornbread in it last night and it came out perfectly crispy on the edges. There's something really satisfying about cooking with a piece of cookware that gets better the more you use it.

Do you bake at all? I'd love to trade recipes if you have any favorites. I'm always looking for something new to try on the weekends.