I suck at thinking up titles.
Long day, lots of work done. Still much more to do but at least I STARTED. Exhausting mentally, takes a lot of concentration, a specific mindset. But I hunkered down. It’s swelteringly hot too. Now I’m gonna lie on my cool sheets, burn some incense, and watch Sands of Iwo Jima. I figure I deserve a break. And all the John Wayne centennials that went on last week made me bump this one to the top of the queue. I’ve seen it before, but I got a hankering to see it again. I have a couple of Woody Allens too – I’m in kind of a Woody phase … I saw Melinda and Melinda this past week and fell in love with it. I agree completely with Roger Ebert’s review of it – I’m right there with ya, buddy! It was great to see Radha Mitchell get such a plum part, too. I remember seeing High Art years ago and thinking: Hmmm. That chick is pretty damn good. Not too bad to look at either. To see her in a Woody Allen flick, though, was so right. She has a Mia Farrow kind of fragility – she’s very pretty, but obviously a wee bit crazy too. I loved it.
But tonight I have a date with the Duke. And a cold beer.
Some pictures below. Just because.
My godmother told me long ago that one of the ways she kept herself engaged – and not afraid of change or risk – was to drink from a different coffee cup every day. To not be too rigid, to not have a favorite. It was a small gesture, but not meaningless. So that every day … every day … she had a small reminder of what life was really about: embracing change, leaping in, letting go. I really liked that … and have been doing it ever since. I do have a favorite one, but I switch it up daily.
Check out the red glow of sunset against the new Times building (still being built). This is a view from the rooftop bar of a new club that opened up near me. Sunset time is the hour … the magic hour. I kept calling it “happy hour” … but I suppose that is true as well.
Counting the days …
I was going to ask you, “There’s going to be Xanadu on Broadway? Really?” and then I was going to kind of spaz out. But then I saw the last line on the poster: “Seriously.”
And then I died a little inside because I have to see this somehow. I just HAVE TO.
Lover
I won’t take a back seat tonight
O-o-o-oohh…
Lover
Gettin’ on my two feet tonight
O-o-o-oohh …
Got some dancin’ to do
Got some dancin’ to do
Got some dancin’ to do
Got some dancin’ to do!
I can’t help it. I love those bastards.
But … okay. Whose sad-eyed dog? And whose pretty yard and bird feeder?
I know – Xanadu on Broadway – I simply cannot wait!!
That’s the birdfeeder in my parents backyard (or one of them) – and sad-eyed dog is Hudson, my sister’s dog. We all love him so much. Look at his little grey beard. What a good good dog!
Sheila your comment about using a different mug every day has unsettled me a little.
smut is an intregral part of american patriotism.
saw the original thomas crowne movie tonight.
not being actor, i guess i look at movies different.
the movie stunk, and i liked it.
the new movie. i like rene russo, now.
but i ain’t going to jail for her.
faye dunaway. devils island and back, sugar.
ida made it back out for her.
redclay – I was joking about the juxtaposition of different images found on 8th avenue. Lighten up.
You gotta love The Duke !
One of my favorite scenes in Iwo Jima is when he goes home with the hopeful-faced and yet kind of sad woman … Obviously he thinks he will get laid. That’s the whole point. He arrives at her apartment and she goes back out to get more liquor – he’s very sweet with her – yet no pushover. It’s just so appealing. While she is gone, he discovers that she has a kid – the baby sits in his crib in the other room, googling and gurgling adorably. Wayne stands there staring at the kid forever … not doing anything but THINKING – God, who was better at thinking on screen than Wayne. It’s very hard – it requires a level of inner clarity and confidence that not too many people have.
She comes back – and she’s all flustered – tries to tell the baby to be quiet while “mama has company” – and Wayne tells her to knock it off. That’s all he says. His point seems to be: don’t tell the baby to shush while you have a man over you just picked up in a bar.
The whole situation shifts then. Wayne picks up a container of formula and pours it into a pot … and the woman says, with awe – “You know about babies!” He looks down at her -with this softness and kindness and also pain on his face – and he says, after a minute, “Yes. I know about babies.’ Because we know his painful history – and what he has lost … it’s just such a great moment. He’s so damn likable.
However – one last thing: he doesn’t seem to JUDGE the woman for wanting “company” (meaning: sex). Not at all. He doesn’t think she’s sad or pathetic or slutty …
There’s this underlying kindness in how he deals with her (although he is gruff with her at first, mainly because he just wants to drink alone, doesn’t want to make conversation).
The entire exchange between him and this woman has a sweetness – and yet so much is left unsaid … Great stuff.