The start of summer marks the end of 15 weeks of "staying safe at home," the prosaic name the governor has given this period of time. One hundred five days. The 100th day of school is celebrated with games, math puzzles, stories, and special snacks. The particular 100-day mark that passed in this house last week was acknowledged for the fact that we are still healthy and have routines in place to get through the next hundred days and the hundred after that if need be.
Maine has not "opened" as quickly as some people would like, but the number of COVID-19 cases are holding steady; that's proof enough that we are doing things the right way. My osteopath's office has opened, but there are so many safety procedures in place that I have put off making an appointment. Ken has a dental appointment scheduled next month, so we'll see what that involves. My hair is the longest it has been in more than three decades, which isn't a choice so much as a product of the time. It's gotten to the point where it's manageable if I keep my bangs trimmed.
June has had the perfect weather. The first two weeks the days were in the 60's and nights in the 40's, with just enough rain to keep things watered and growing. The last week has been dry, though we do need rain at this point, and summer weather arrived at just the right time. Last weekend we made our first trip to the ocean and enjoyed the beach while social distancing. This weekend we enjoyed a socially distanced picnic dinner on my daughter's patio; our first take-out pizza in three months was delicious. Today I bought tickets online for a no-contact drive-in movie Friday night, a showing of "Back to the Future." It's an oldie but a goodie, and I will just enjoy looking up at the big screen.
This month our household jumped into the 21st century with a major technological advancement: we now have internet via fiber optic cable. The engineer, linemen, and technicians made all their visits and accomplished all their work while practicing social distancing. It was impressive. Fortunately, Ken knew how to do all the work that fell to the homeowners so we were able to get everything done in good time. And it works great! The first few days I was cautiously optimistic. Now that we've run multiple devices over a period of days at a variety of times in the house and on the deck, I am confident that we are all set. Tomorrow I will cancel the DSL service. If wifi calling works as we hope it will with our cell phones, I will cancel the land line next month. This development is a huge boon for our household for which I am grateful.
In the last few days I have decided that I am not ready to let go of teaching. I hadn't decided to "get done" and I don't like the idea of letting circumstances dictate that for me. I am not actively looking for a job as no one knows what school will look like in the fall; I have decided to maintain my certification which is up for renewal next year. My daughter-in-law shared info about quality online university courses she has taken, so I'm looking forward to taking two in the next several months. I love an excuse to go back to school.
The journey continues....
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2020
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Summer Begins
I knew last week would be busy. It was the last five days of school with all the normal busy-ness of that time of year. The added stress was that the classroom needed to be entirely packed by noon Friday ~ every book, file, activity, and piece of paper needed to be in a box, file cabinet, or crate because everything is being moved to a room-not-yet-determined. Final count: 53 boxes, 7 file cabinets, 10 crates, and the assorted odd-shaped large items in trash bags and labeled.
So I did something smart ~ I took myself to the movies after school on Monday. I saw I'll See You In My Dreams and have been thinking about the movie ever since.
Blythe Danner stars. Blythe Danner is the embodiment of grace, poise, beauty, understated emotion, and she can sing. The story is of a woman named Carol who has crafted a life. She has friends who want her to move to their retirement village, but Carol likes living alone. She has a routine and has tried to shield herself from further heartbreak.
Then she has a conversation with the guy who cleans her pool, and her world expands a bit. Their talks are about real life questions and willingness to keep trying. Carol sings. She meets a man. She makes small changes. Carol is my new role model. Through the losses and the gains she keeps going.
I was crying within the first ten minutes. Later I laughed out loud. I sat entranced as Carol sang. At one emotional point Carol tells her daughter that she still has two boxes in the guest room she should go through before she leaves, and I was crying again. That is how it really happens, this thing about life moving forward. People leave. Others are left behind. We take a risk because we think we finally found the thing missing, and then it doesn't work out. Relationships change, sometimes in ways over which we have no control. Friends rally. Maybe we take a trip....
I am traveling this week. The timing is only because this was the biggest chunk of time we had this summer to take a road trip. I am channeling Carol as life keeps happening in spite of my desire to push the pause button. Maintaining a sense of calm is always a good choice.
So I did something smart ~ I took myself to the movies after school on Monday. I saw I'll See You In My Dreams and have been thinking about the movie ever since.
Blythe Danner stars. Blythe Danner is the embodiment of grace, poise, beauty, understated emotion, and she can sing. The story is of a woman named Carol who has crafted a life. She has friends who want her to move to their retirement village, but Carol likes living alone. She has a routine and has tried to shield herself from further heartbreak.
Then she has a conversation with the guy who cleans her pool, and her world expands a bit. Their talks are about real life questions and willingness to keep trying. Carol sings. She meets a man. She makes small changes. Carol is my new role model. Through the losses and the gains she keeps going.
I was crying within the first ten minutes. Later I laughed out loud. I sat entranced as Carol sang. At one emotional point Carol tells her daughter that she still has two boxes in the guest room she should go through before she leaves, and I was crying again. That is how it really happens, this thing about life moving forward. People leave. Others are left behind. We take a risk because we think we finally found the thing missing, and then it doesn't work out. Relationships change, sometimes in ways over which we have no control. Friends rally. Maybe we take a trip....
I am traveling this week. The timing is only because this was the biggest chunk of time we had this summer to take a road trip. I am channeling Carol as life keeps happening in spite of my desire to push the pause button. Maintaining a sense of calm is always a good choice.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Perspective Is Everything
Two weeks ago I saw the movie While We're Young. It looked like fun and I wanted to see Naomi Watts in her latest role. I enjoyed her performances in Birdman, as an actress, and St. Vincent, as a Russian stripper. In this current release she and Ben Stiller play a 40-something married couple, Cornelia and Josh, dealing with the shift in their friendships as their friends have babies. Cornelia and Josh are befriended by a younger couple that introduces them to new experiences, and in the beginning they find it exciting and fun. Then the reality of what the younger couple is really after sets in, and Cornelia and Josh take a hard look at where they are in their lives, what they value, and what they really want.
It's this last part that made the movie for me. I've been thinking about it for two weeks. The message, for me, is that our experiences make us who we are and we continue to evolve as long as we choose to. At every age we question where we've been and what's next. At any age we can learn more and change course if that makes sense.
I feel unfinished, and that is okay with me. I don't know what's next, and I have decided that is my new normal. That's hard to explain to people who make plans and follow through. My plans haven't worked out, so I either need to be okay with that and move on, or give up. I haven't given up.
Reflections on this movie have shone a new light on how I can feel about where I am in life.
My new motto is, "While I'm young." With that in mind, there isn't anything I can't do.
It's this last part that made the movie for me. I've been thinking about it for two weeks. The message, for me, is that our experiences make us who we are and we continue to evolve as long as we choose to. At every age we question where we've been and what's next. At any age we can learn more and change course if that makes sense.
I feel unfinished, and that is okay with me. I don't know what's next, and I have decided that is my new normal. That's hard to explain to people who make plans and follow through. My plans haven't worked out, so I either need to be okay with that and move on, or give up. I haven't given up.
Reflections on this movie have shone a new light on how I can feel about where I am in life.
My new motto is, "While I'm young." With that in mind, there isn't anything I can't do.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
February Treats
I wrote the last post while I was watching The Oscars, one of the treats of February. I had seen more of the movies up for awards than I realized. I saw Birdman and The Judge by myself and want to see them again with Ken; I particularly enjoyed the performances of Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall in the latter; I thought Birdman was over the top, which might have been why it was so popular, and while it wasn't one of my favorites last year I wouldn't mind seeing it again to see what I might have missed.
Ken and I both liked Wild; I got so absorbed in the movie I forgot Reese Witherspoon was acting, and in a different year I think she could have won the Oscar. Ken and I thought Grand Budapest Hotel was weird, but that kind of movie often does well with voters of The Academy; I don't want to see that one again. We did like The Imitation Game, but instead of seeing it again I want to learn more about the mathematician Alan Turing and how his mind worked. We saw Begin Again on DVD, and that is the sort of movie I will watch again because I like the story and the actors and the music is good. I saw Into the Woods with my daughter and it was good fun; Anna Kendrick has an amazing voice, and Meryl Streep certainly held her own.
While still watching The Oscars I added movies we haven't seen yet to our Netflix queue: Boyhood, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Big Hero 6. The winning song from Selma gave me goose bumps.
There are some movies from last year that I don't care to see at all. I read the book Still Alice and thought it was well written, but now that I know the story I don't want to see the movie, though I'm sure Julianne Moore did a terrific job and deserves the Oscar. I am just as sure J. K. Simmons earned his Oscar, but I don't want to see Whiplash because I don't enjoy movies about one person intentionally abusing another. American Sniper and Foxcatcher are based on true stories, and I don't want to see them because I know enough about those tragedies already. After last year's Academy Awards we gave in and rented Gravity, which was as bad as I thought it would be; I will not be suckered in this year to watch Interstellar.
That Sunday evening awards show was the perfect way to end February vacation. I was relaxed and well rested.
Then I went back to work. I have been tired every night, so tired that I have climbed into bed early the last two nights. The frustration of the job is tiring, as is the frigid cold weather and the mountains of snow. Sometimes the best thing is to climb into a warm bed with a good book ~ I'm on my third re-read of favorite Elizabeth Berg novels.
Another treat of February is that it is the shortest month, so no matter how cold or snowy it is we know it will be over soon. It's also the last full month of winter. We have no illusions that spring is anywhere close, but it feels good to say "the last month of winter."
We get accustomed to the snow as it piles up. I took photos after the January 27 blizzard and again on February 22 after the storm the day before. Yes, we had a lot of snow in January, and photos show how much more we have now. Ken does a terrific job of keeping us cleared out ~
Results of the Blizzard of January 2015 ~
After the February 21 Snowstorm ~
He gets those nice clean edges and keeps the driveway wide by blowing snow right up against each side. It's a lot of work but it sure makes it easier to come and go.
Ken and I both liked Wild; I got so absorbed in the movie I forgot Reese Witherspoon was acting, and in a different year I think she could have won the Oscar. Ken and I thought Grand Budapest Hotel was weird, but that kind of movie often does well with voters of The Academy; I don't want to see that one again. We did like The Imitation Game, but instead of seeing it again I want to learn more about the mathematician Alan Turing and how his mind worked. We saw Begin Again on DVD, and that is the sort of movie I will watch again because I like the story and the actors and the music is good. I saw Into the Woods with my daughter and it was good fun; Anna Kendrick has an amazing voice, and Meryl Streep certainly held her own.
While still watching The Oscars I added movies we haven't seen yet to our Netflix queue: Boyhood, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Big Hero 6. The winning song from Selma gave me goose bumps.
There are some movies from last year that I don't care to see at all. I read the book Still Alice and thought it was well written, but now that I know the story I don't want to see the movie, though I'm sure Julianne Moore did a terrific job and deserves the Oscar. I am just as sure J. K. Simmons earned his Oscar, but I don't want to see Whiplash because I don't enjoy movies about one person intentionally abusing another. American Sniper and Foxcatcher are based on true stories, and I don't want to see them because I know enough about those tragedies already. After last year's Academy Awards we gave in and rented Gravity, which was as bad as I thought it would be; I will not be suckered in this year to watch Interstellar.
That Sunday evening awards show was the perfect way to end February vacation. I was relaxed and well rested.
Then I went back to work. I have been tired every night, so tired that I have climbed into bed early the last two nights. The frustration of the job is tiring, as is the frigid cold weather and the mountains of snow. Sometimes the best thing is to climb into a warm bed with a good book ~ I'm on my third re-read of favorite Elizabeth Berg novels.
Another treat of February is that it is the shortest month, so no matter how cold or snowy it is we know it will be over soon. It's also the last full month of winter. We have no illusions that spring is anywhere close, but it feels good to say "the last month of winter."
We get accustomed to the snow as it piles up. I took photos after the January 27 blizzard and again on February 22 after the storm the day before. Yes, we had a lot of snow in January, and photos show how much more we have now. Ken does a terrific job of keeping us cleared out ~
Results of the Blizzard of January 2015 ~
After the February 21 Snowstorm ~
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Two Movies
This evening I came in through the garage when I got home from running errands. As I stepped into the house I noticed a light on in the family room. I didn't leave a light on. I moved in closer and realized the room was lit with the reflection of sunshine on yellow leaves. The wonder of the moment made me smile.
I got my car back Thursday evening. Annabelle looks good. The best part? The auto body shop meticulously washed her outside and detailed her inside. She smells good, too. I really missed my car. Driving is one of life's pleasures. There are days I could drive for hours.
The cell phone saga continues. A week ago my daughter emailed back and forth with technical support. More promises that the import would take just a few more days. No such luck. I called last night and after thirty minutes of conversation with tech support and time on hold I told the guy that I wanted to speak to a supervisor. He transferred me to customer service where I repeated the story for the umpteenth time; that guy said that the situation needed to be resolved, that I was right to be upset. Then he put me on hold. When he returned ten minutes later he told me that their tech support was on the phone with the landline provider and that the situation would be resolved within the hour. Where could they call me when everything was all set? I gave my number, hung up the phone, and wished I had some way to bet money that I wouldn't get a call back. I never did. I would have called again tonight but I left my phone at work, and if this ever does get resolved I need my phone so we can check to be sure it will ring with the new number.
There is a reason to go through all of this with this particular phone company ~ they are the only progressive mobile phone company in the country. A portion of their profits goes to the non-profit groups that my daughter and I believe in and want to support. Plus, she gets unlimited free data. My daughter has done the research - there is no comparable company out there. This is one way we put our money where our mouths are, and in this case it means we spend a lot of time trying to fix something that may be unfixable. I will call again tomorrow night....
The installation of railings is progressing, though still not complete. Every section needs to be constructed from parts and made to fit. No two sections are the same size. Rails need to be measured, angles need to be cut, holes need to be drilled, balusters need to be fitted. There have been problems. Problems upon problems. Replacement parts have been procured. There's a lot of sawing, hammering, screwing, and trying again going on. Three major wooden posts have taken a beating, so I've been repairing and painting around the construction. The glow of finishing the deck has worn off, and the railing project has worn us down. But it will get finished. And we will be very glad when it is.
Through all of the busyness and setbacks I have been able to count on the mainstay that keeps me sane: I have been to five movies since Labor Day. I have gone on weeknights and weekends. I have gone with my daughter, with my husband, and by myself. Some comedies, some drama, some good, and some just okay ~ each one has contributed to my mental health in a positive way. The two that I would recommend, ironically, start with the death of the father in the family.
This Is Where I Leave You is a comedy, with a few serious moments, that had my daughter and me laughing out loud. Tina Fey and Jason Bateman play beautifully off each other, and Jane Fonda is as funny as she's ever been. The movie is irreverent and raucous, funny and sensitive in all the right places.
My Old Lady is a serious drama with a few light moments. Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith, and Kristin Scott Thomas perform as in a play, allowing the story to unfold as it might in real life. The evening I went I needed to be pulled into something other than what was going on in my life, and this movie was just the ticket. If you like any or all of the actors in the cast, I don't think you will be disappointed.
Thank goodness for movies.
And thank goodness for all of you who comment here and continue to write on your own blogs. I read more than I comment these days, but I do read and appreciate that connection to the world more than I can say. It's easy to get weighed down with the day-to-day routines, irritations, and disappointments. It helps to be reminded that I am not alone in any of it, that life goes on, and tomorrow is another day.
Thank goodness.
I got my car back Thursday evening. Annabelle looks good. The best part? The auto body shop meticulously washed her outside and detailed her inside. She smells good, too. I really missed my car. Driving is one of life's pleasures. There are days I could drive for hours.
The cell phone saga continues. A week ago my daughter emailed back and forth with technical support. More promises that the import would take just a few more days. No such luck. I called last night and after thirty minutes of conversation with tech support and time on hold I told the guy that I wanted to speak to a supervisor. He transferred me to customer service where I repeated the story for the umpteenth time; that guy said that the situation needed to be resolved, that I was right to be upset. Then he put me on hold. When he returned ten minutes later he told me that their tech support was on the phone with the landline provider and that the situation would be resolved within the hour. Where could they call me when everything was all set? I gave my number, hung up the phone, and wished I had some way to bet money that I wouldn't get a call back. I never did. I would have called again tonight but I left my phone at work, and if this ever does get resolved I need my phone so we can check to be sure it will ring with the new number.
There is a reason to go through all of this with this particular phone company ~ they are the only progressive mobile phone company in the country. A portion of their profits goes to the non-profit groups that my daughter and I believe in and want to support. Plus, she gets unlimited free data. My daughter has done the research - there is no comparable company out there. This is one way we put our money where our mouths are, and in this case it means we spend a lot of time trying to fix something that may be unfixable. I will call again tomorrow night....
The installation of railings is progressing, though still not complete. Every section needs to be constructed from parts and made to fit. No two sections are the same size. Rails need to be measured, angles need to be cut, holes need to be drilled, balusters need to be fitted. There have been problems. Problems upon problems. Replacement parts have been procured. There's a lot of sawing, hammering, screwing, and trying again going on. Three major wooden posts have taken a beating, so I've been repairing and painting around the construction. The glow of finishing the deck has worn off, and the railing project has worn us down. But it will get finished. And we will be very glad when it is.
Through all of the busyness and setbacks I have been able to count on the mainstay that keeps me sane: I have been to five movies since Labor Day. I have gone on weeknights and weekends. I have gone with my daughter, with my husband, and by myself. Some comedies, some drama, some good, and some just okay ~ each one has contributed to my mental health in a positive way. The two that I would recommend, ironically, start with the death of the father in the family.
This Is Where I Leave You is a comedy, with a few serious moments, that had my daughter and me laughing out loud. Tina Fey and Jason Bateman play beautifully off each other, and Jane Fonda is as funny as she's ever been. The movie is irreverent and raucous, funny and sensitive in all the right places.
My Old Lady is a serious drama with a few light moments. Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith, and Kristin Scott Thomas perform as in a play, allowing the story to unfold as it might in real life. The evening I went I needed to be pulled into something other than what was going on in my life, and this movie was just the ticket. If you like any or all of the actors in the cast, I don't think you will be disappointed.
Thank goodness for movies.
And thank goodness for all of you who comment here and continue to write on your own blogs. I read more than I comment these days, but I do read and appreciate that connection to the world more than I can say. It's easy to get weighed down with the day-to-day routines, irritations, and disappointments. It helps to be reminded that I am not alone in any of it, that life goes on, and tomorrow is another day.
Thank goodness.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
A Thousand Mornings
I took myself to the movies tonight. It was a day among days when life keeps happening, in a good way but busy. I wanted a quiet couple of hours to be someplace away without the hassle of packing and traveling. The movie provided an elegant escape. I recommend Belle, a perfectly paced story of true events in England more than two hundred years ago. The lead actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw is a pleasure to watch.
* * * * * * * * * *
There are two books from California still to write about. For today I picked the one that slows my heartbeat and gives me a moment to pause with each reading. I've never met a book of poems by Mary Oliver that I didn't like, and this book is no exception. A Thousand Mornings (2012) was a delightful find; every time I pick it up I see something new, sometimes in a poem I've already read.
I thought this evening about why Oliver's poems strike such a chord with me. She doesn't gloss over the hard stuff. She writes about all of it, the real parts of life that bring us joy and sadness and all the feelings in between.
Because the beating of my heart is ever present these days, I selected this poem to share~
A Thousand Mornings
by Mary Oliver
All night my heart makes its way
however it can over the rough ground
of uncertainties, but only until night
meets and then is overwhelmed by
morning, the light deepening, the
wind easing and just waiting, as I
too wait (and when have I ever been
disappointed?) for redbird to sing.
* * * * * * * * * *
There are two books from California still to write about. For today I picked the one that slows my heartbeat and gives me a moment to pause with each reading. I've never met a book of poems by Mary Oliver that I didn't like, and this book is no exception. A Thousand Mornings (2012) was a delightful find; every time I pick it up I see something new, sometimes in a poem I've already read.
I thought this evening about why Oliver's poems strike such a chord with me. She doesn't gloss over the hard stuff. She writes about all of it, the real parts of life that bring us joy and sadness and all the feelings in between.
Because the beating of my heart is ever present these days, I selected this poem to share~
A Thousand Mornings
by Mary Oliver
All night my heart makes its way
however it can over the rough ground
of uncertainties, but only until night
meets and then is overwhelmed by
morning, the light deepening, the
wind easing and just waiting, as I
too wait (and when have I ever been
disappointed?) for redbird to sing.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
An Issue Of Our Time
Almost twenty years after the fact I remember hearing the news about the accident. I taught in the school district but didn't live there, so I didn't know the high school student who crashed his car and lost his life. My co-workers couldn't understand how this happened - the student wasn't drinking; there were no cell phones in those days; there was no other vehicle involved; and he was alone in the car. What caused him to lose control and crash into a tree? The police investigation revealed that he was distracted when he reached for a CD. It wasn't called "distracted driving" then, but that was the first time I heard of a concrete example that being distracted while you are driving can cost you your life.
My friend in New Mexico knows more about distracted driving than she ever wanted to learn. Her friend died last year after he was hit by a distracted driver. In response to the tragedy she has researched the issue, written letters, contacted legislators, and worked on legislation for the state of New Mexico. Laws are changing there and elsewhere around the country. Education is an important aspect of the campaign to stop distracted driving, which includes texting but is a wider problem than that.
I am one of those people who needs to be totally focused on my driving. It sounds funny but I involuntarily cringe when an actor on screen takes their eyes off the road while they're driving. I don't know that I personally know people who drive distracted. I know for sure that I've seen distracted drivers on the road and do my best to steer clear when they cross the center line or drift onto the shoulder. I live in a state that hasn't outlawed cell phone use while driving, though legislation is in the works.
It matters that we raise people's awareness about this issue. There are statistics that indicate it's time to sound the alarm, and there is a new documentary on the subject. This is a link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxyjJyf7gGM.
The brief description of the program is this:
Produced by Emmy © Award winning
Christopher Productions LLC, this program highlights the most recent
brain research involving cell phone use, DWI, and other causes of car
crashes and helps us understand why distracted driving crashes are
rising at an alarming rate, especially for young people.
I have not seen the full program or heard how the documentary will be available. When I have more information I will share it here.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Change Takes And Gives Time
Don't rush April. Unfamiliar words but ones I uttered more than once this year. I thought the month was almost over only to realize we were barely halfway through.
Part of it was the weather, slow to warm and unable to encourage all the usual suspects to bloom before May arrived. Maybe I thought rushing the month would also rush warmer temperatures, but that didn't work.
Part of it was the way I have been paying attention to what I am doing and how I am feeling and asking why. This is hard to describe without sounding like I've been totally self-absorbed. I have not turned into a complete hermit, and it's not like the people around me are aware of what I'm doing. When my chest feels tight, I think about where I am, who I am with, and what I am doing. When I am feeling relaxed I ask the same questions. I focus on my breathing and take stock of what the rest of my body is doing and feeling. This process makes me hyper aware of the passage of time, and the result has been a lengthening of my days.
And part of the reason for the longer-than-usual month of April is that I am changing patterns and routines. Before I do something physical I ask if there is a way to do it I haven't tried before. I have rearranged furniture in the three rooms where I spend most of my time. I have stopped trying to manage my emotions ~ the tears come and I allow them to flow; I laugh more easily; I have said what I felt instead of squashing my words, and yes, I have felt the need to apologize.
During my massage on Friday I said that the tightness in my chest now feels like more of a vibration than an ache. The feeling has become a signal to pay attention. My massage therapist picks up on those small changes and notices the correlating changes she feels in my body.
She and I are both movie buffs, and we like to compare notes during my massage. She was working on my right shoulder when I started describing the premise of one of my favorite baseball movies, Moneyball. It is the true story of how Billy Beane used statistics to draft and trade players based on their on-base percentages in order to build a winning team on a limited budget. I had watched the movie the afternoon before. As general manager Beane didn't care what position the player used to play; he could teach a catcher to play first base. All that mattered was the player's ability to get on base. I described in great detail how Beane convinced players to stop doing what they thought they did best: Steal bases? Not anymore - get on base and stay there. Bunt? Nope - hit the ball and get on base. Billy Beane convinced players to change their habits and the team had a twenty-game winning streak, the first ever in American League baseball.
My shoulder released and I had an "aha" moment: It's not easy to change habits but there may be unexpected and extraordinary rewards when I do. It's worth the effort to keep trying.
After the massage Ruth handed me a tiny orange origami crane she'd made that morning. She reminded me that orange is the color of the second chakra, the place of personal power with ourselves and others. Since February I have written daily in a small orange journal my daughter gave me. I write one sentence about my day. That simple act has encouraged me to start journaling again.
The journey continues....
*Follow-up note about the cat that showed up at our door one Friday night. A woman who lives a quarter mile down the road, and deeper in the woods than we do, learned on Facebook from another neighbor that we had rescued a cat. She called me Tuesday morning and I told her the cat was at the shelter. The next day the shelter posted a photo of the reunion on FB. Full circle.
Part of it was the weather, slow to warm and unable to encourage all the usual suspects to bloom before May arrived. Maybe I thought rushing the month would also rush warmer temperatures, but that didn't work.
Part of it was the way I have been paying attention to what I am doing and how I am feeling and asking why. This is hard to describe without sounding like I've been totally self-absorbed. I have not turned into a complete hermit, and it's not like the people around me are aware of what I'm doing. When my chest feels tight, I think about where I am, who I am with, and what I am doing. When I am feeling relaxed I ask the same questions. I focus on my breathing and take stock of what the rest of my body is doing and feeling. This process makes me hyper aware of the passage of time, and the result has been a lengthening of my days.
And part of the reason for the longer-than-usual month of April is that I am changing patterns and routines. Before I do something physical I ask if there is a way to do it I haven't tried before. I have rearranged furniture in the three rooms where I spend most of my time. I have stopped trying to manage my emotions ~ the tears come and I allow them to flow; I laugh more easily; I have said what I felt instead of squashing my words, and yes, I have felt the need to apologize.
During my massage on Friday I said that the tightness in my chest now feels like more of a vibration than an ache. The feeling has become a signal to pay attention. My massage therapist picks up on those small changes and notices the correlating changes she feels in my body.
She and I are both movie buffs, and we like to compare notes during my massage. She was working on my right shoulder when I started describing the premise of one of my favorite baseball movies, Moneyball. It is the true story of how Billy Beane used statistics to draft and trade players based on their on-base percentages in order to build a winning team on a limited budget. I had watched the movie the afternoon before. As general manager Beane didn't care what position the player used to play; he could teach a catcher to play first base. All that mattered was the player's ability to get on base. I described in great detail how Beane convinced players to stop doing what they thought they did best: Steal bases? Not anymore - get on base and stay there. Bunt? Nope - hit the ball and get on base. Billy Beane convinced players to change their habits and the team had a twenty-game winning streak, the first ever in American League baseball.
My shoulder released and I had an "aha" moment: It's not easy to change habits but there may be unexpected and extraordinary rewards when I do. It's worth the effort to keep trying.
After the massage Ruth handed me a tiny orange origami crane she'd made that morning. She reminded me that orange is the color of the second chakra, the place of personal power with ourselves and others. Since February I have written daily in a small orange journal my daughter gave me. I write one sentence about my day. That simple act has encouraged me to start journaling again.
The journey continues....
*Follow-up note about the cat that showed up at our door one Friday night. A woman who lives a quarter mile down the road, and deeper in the woods than we do, learned on Facebook from another neighbor that we had rescued a cat. She called me Tuesday morning and I told her the cat was at the shelter. The next day the shelter posted a photo of the reunion on FB. Full circle.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
2013 In Movies
As I've read through blogs this week, it has become clear that 2013 was not a banner year for many of us. It was a tough year for a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. My hope is that 2014 is better all around for all of us.
My motto is "When the going gets tough, go to the movies." This year was slim on my kind of movies at the theater, though I saw a few good ones. A valid substitute in my house is Netflix. This year my list includes more inspired-by-real-life movies and documentaries than usual. I am serious about picking only the best of the best, so this year I have only nine movies that I highly recommend over all others.
In January I rented The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel because I wanted to see it again [I will own this movie someday]. This movie speaks to me about growing older and not settling for the way life has always been just because that might be easier than making a change. This movie gives me hope that there's still a lot of living left to do. Judi Dench is wonderful.
In April I watched The Intouchables on DVD. I found it hard to understand the premise of the movie when I saw it previewed in theaters, so I passed it by. By the time it was on DVD I had read positive press that sparked my interest. It required a commitment of my total attention because it has subtitles, which was not an issue when I finally sat down to watch it. Totally worth every minute, this is a unique story based on the actual life of a man confined to a wheelchair who hires an unlikely companion. Their story is inspiring. I immediately recommended the movie to a friend who swaps Netflix recommendations with me, and she loved it, too.
In July I saw The Way Way Back at the theater. I have already raved about this movie here.
For our anniversary in September Ken and I saw Still Mine with a friend at an independent theater in Damariscotta, Maine. I had seen previews of this film, which stars James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold, about an elderly couple who fight authorities so they can build a more manageable home in their town in rural New Brunswick. The story is true; the grit and determination are to be admired.
From the first preview I knew I wanted to see James Gandolfini's last performance in Enough Said. His co-star is Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the story is about first impressions, misconceptions, miscommunication, and how hard it can be to make things right. I liked this movie a lot.
Stories We Tell is a documentary written and directed by Sarah Polley, who interviewed family and family friends to gain a deeper understanding of the life of her mother, who died when Sarah was eleven years old. The story that unfolds on film is pieced together from a variety of perspectives because no one has the complete picture. This is a mystery that is solved right in front of us...
As is the story titled Searching for Sugar Man. I thought I knew what this documentary was all about and started watching it while I was sewing. Halfway through the story took a turn I didn't expect. Now I was paying attention! I enjoyed the music so much that I'd like to have the soundtrack, and I was so interested in the details that I watched the DVD again with Ken.
Over Thanksgiving weekend my daughter and I watched Much Ado About Nothing - the black and white production by Joss Whedon released here in 2013. It's the modern telling of a classic Shakespearean romance. We give this movie two thumbs up.
I will finish my recommendations for the year as I started, with a movie starring Judi Dench. The difference is that Philomena is a true story about a woman and the journalist who helped her search for the son who was taken from her when he was three years old. Yet it's so much more than that. This is a movie about faith and forgiveness and not giving up. It's about searching for the truth, whatever that may be. Have tissues handy. I was the last one out of the theater because I had something in my eye....
My motto is "When the going gets tough, go to the movies." This year was slim on my kind of movies at the theater, though I saw a few good ones. A valid substitute in my house is Netflix. This year my list includes more inspired-by-real-life movies and documentaries than usual. I am serious about picking only the best of the best, so this year I have only nine movies that I highly recommend over all others.
In January I rented The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel because I wanted to see it again [I will own this movie someday]. This movie speaks to me about growing older and not settling for the way life has always been just because that might be easier than making a change. This movie gives me hope that there's still a lot of living left to do. Judi Dench is wonderful.
In April I watched The Intouchables on DVD. I found it hard to understand the premise of the movie when I saw it previewed in theaters, so I passed it by. By the time it was on DVD I had read positive press that sparked my interest. It required a commitment of my total attention because it has subtitles, which was not an issue when I finally sat down to watch it. Totally worth every minute, this is a unique story based on the actual life of a man confined to a wheelchair who hires an unlikely companion. Their story is inspiring. I immediately recommended the movie to a friend who swaps Netflix recommendations with me, and she loved it, too.
In July I saw The Way Way Back at the theater. I have already raved about this movie here.
For our anniversary in September Ken and I saw Still Mine with a friend at an independent theater in Damariscotta, Maine. I had seen previews of this film, which stars James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold, about an elderly couple who fight authorities so they can build a more manageable home in their town in rural New Brunswick. The story is true; the grit and determination are to be admired.
From the first preview I knew I wanted to see James Gandolfini's last performance in Enough Said. His co-star is Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the story is about first impressions, misconceptions, miscommunication, and how hard it can be to make things right. I liked this movie a lot.
Stories We Tell is a documentary written and directed by Sarah Polley, who interviewed family and family friends to gain a deeper understanding of the life of her mother, who died when Sarah was eleven years old. The story that unfolds on film is pieced together from a variety of perspectives because no one has the complete picture. This is a mystery that is solved right in front of us...
As is the story titled Searching for Sugar Man. I thought I knew what this documentary was all about and started watching it while I was sewing. Halfway through the story took a turn I didn't expect. Now I was paying attention! I enjoyed the music so much that I'd like to have the soundtrack, and I was so interested in the details that I watched the DVD again with Ken.
Over Thanksgiving weekend my daughter and I watched Much Ado About Nothing - the black and white production by Joss Whedon released here in 2013. It's the modern telling of a classic Shakespearean romance. We give this movie two thumbs up.
I will finish my recommendations for the year as I started, with a movie starring Judi Dench. The difference is that Philomena is a true story about a woman and the journalist who helped her search for the son who was taken from her when he was three years old. Yet it's so much more than that. This is a movie about faith and forgiveness and not giving up. It's about searching for the truth, whatever that may be. Have tissues handy. I was the last one out of the theater because I had something in my eye....
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Two Movies
It's not that I don't have more than two movies to recommend. I will plan to do an end of year movie review...I didn't do that last year.
For now I have two movies that I highly recommend, one from the summer that is just out on DVD and one I saw today.
This summer Ken, my daughter, and I saw The Way Way Back in a local independent theater. I had seen previews and knew I'd like it with Allison Janney, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Carell. The movie was wonderful, about parents and kids and neighbors, growing up and growing into ourselves. Toni Collette is a single mom with a teenage son who has little confidence in his abilities. Allison Janney is hilarious and Sam Rockwell is insightful. There are funny moments and sensitive moments. The movie is more serious than comedic, much like life. When it was over, the three of us agreed that we'd watch it again, probably more than once, when it comes out on DVD ~ high praise in my family.
Today with my friend Marie I saw another winner, just released in theaters About Time. Again I had seen previews but wasn't really sure what the story was about. It's written and directed by the same guy who wrote and directed Love Actually. The only thing I think the two movies have in common is Bill Nighy, who is good in anything he does. Rachel McAdams is delightful, as usual. Domhnall Gleeson is adorable as the clumsy romantic male lead. The story is premised on the fantasy of being able to travel back in time for do-overs. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The relationships are believable, even if all the events are not. As people and places and happenings were woven together I wanted things to work out. Marie and I liked it. I will watch it again for sure.
It has been a slow year for movies. Some years are like that. There were previews for a couple movies that show promise. I hope to get to the theater a few more times this year.
I love movies ~
For now I have two movies that I highly recommend, one from the summer that is just out on DVD and one I saw today.
This summer Ken, my daughter, and I saw The Way Way Back in a local independent theater. I had seen previews and knew I'd like it with Allison Janney, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Carell. The movie was wonderful, about parents and kids and neighbors, growing up and growing into ourselves. Toni Collette is a single mom with a teenage son who has little confidence in his abilities. Allison Janney is hilarious and Sam Rockwell is insightful. There are funny moments and sensitive moments. The movie is more serious than comedic, much like life. When it was over, the three of us agreed that we'd watch it again, probably more than once, when it comes out on DVD ~ high praise in my family.
Today with my friend Marie I saw another winner, just released in theaters About Time. Again I had seen previews but wasn't really sure what the story was about. It's written and directed by the same guy who wrote and directed Love Actually. The only thing I think the two movies have in common is Bill Nighy, who is good in anything he does. Rachel McAdams is delightful, as usual. Domhnall Gleeson is adorable as the clumsy romantic male lead. The story is premised on the fantasy of being able to travel back in time for do-overs. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The relationships are believable, even if all the events are not. As people and places and happenings were woven together I wanted things to work out. Marie and I liked it. I will watch it again for sure.
It has been a slow year for movies. Some years are like that. There were previews for a couple movies that show promise. I hope to get to the theater a few more times this year.
I love movies ~
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
On Vibrate
Everybody's Fine. The Robert De Niro movie by that name has been going through my mind since Friday. In the movie De Niro's character, Frank, travels to see each of his grown children to make sure they're fine.
In my case, my children have been checking in regularly to let me know they're fine. My son in Boston called early Friday morning to tell me he was okay before I had any idea there was a manhunt underway. He was home trying to figure out how to get to work, and soon after his call we heard that all of Boston was told to shelter in place.
I watched and listened as Friday's events unfolded. I kept thinking the police would locate the suspect...any minute they would come upon him hiding...arrest him...and this chapter would be finished, though the story was just beginning. I was concerned about the safety of my son, but I was acutely aware that the bombing suspects were someone's sons, too.
It feels like someone put the world on vibrate....
Two weeks ago during a massage my body started to vibrate. It was unexpected but not scary, odd but not hurtful. I felt the effects for hours afterward. A few days later I asked my daughter what she thought the vibrating meant. She said she didn't have a scientific explanation, but she had a theory and used a metaphor to explain: When musicians in an orchestra tune their instruments before a concert, the sounds are disjointed, apart from one another, out of sync. Each instrument needs to be tuned on its own before it carries its part within the group. When the conductor taps his wand, the sounds find each other, come together, and play in harmony.
Chaos lays the groundwork for harmony.
That explanation has been reassuring to me as I reflect on all that is happening, in my life and out in the world. I want a reason for continued optimism. I want to believe that we will figure this out.
I like to think that through it all we are moving toward harmony....
In my case, my children have been checking in regularly to let me know they're fine. My son in Boston called early Friday morning to tell me he was okay before I had any idea there was a manhunt underway. He was home trying to figure out how to get to work, and soon after his call we heard that all of Boston was told to shelter in place.
I watched and listened as Friday's events unfolded. I kept thinking the police would locate the suspect...any minute they would come upon him hiding...arrest him...and this chapter would be finished, though the story was just beginning. I was concerned about the safety of my son, but I was acutely aware that the bombing suspects were someone's sons, too.
It feels like someone put the world on vibrate....
Two weeks ago during a massage my body started to vibrate. It was unexpected but not scary, odd but not hurtful. I felt the effects for hours afterward. A few days later I asked my daughter what she thought the vibrating meant. She said she didn't have a scientific explanation, but she had a theory and used a metaphor to explain: When musicians in an orchestra tune their instruments before a concert, the sounds are disjointed, apart from one another, out of sync. Each instrument needs to be tuned on its own before it carries its part within the group. When the conductor taps his wand, the sounds find each other, come together, and play in harmony.
Chaos lays the groundwork for harmony.
That explanation has been reassuring to me as I reflect on all that is happening, in my life and out in the world. I want a reason for continued optimism. I want to believe that we will figure this out.
I like to think that through it all we are moving toward harmony....
Thursday, November 29, 2012
My Heart
In the November issue of O Magazine, Martha Beck has a column titled "You're Doing Just Fine." She writes about that inner critic that we do battle with and need to oust permanently. Her solution is an Everybody Committee, which only helps if you have the right people on your Committee. The secret is to staff your Everybody Committee with people who accept you unconditionally. Then, as Martha says, "You [will] be supervised, all day every day, by people who forgive your errors and believe in your destiny."
As I read the article I made a mental list of the names of those I needed to kick off my Committee. It took more thought to create a list of replacement members.
Then it came to me. You, you who read here, are on my Everybody Committee. Your encouragement and support is what rings in my ears when I feel lost and unsure, when I question how I got where I am and what comes next. Your insights enlighten me, your faith in me fills my heart. I have chosen you as the mirror that reflects the "me" I can't see but most want to be.
For the past several days I have carried with me your positive comments on my last post. I awoke on Saturday with a soreness in the muscles in my chest. I had no symptoms of a heart attack, but the bruised feeling brought my awareness to my heart. I thought about how hard I have been on myself, frustrated and disappointed and sad. At night I went to bed worried and not feeling well. What helped me relax were kind words to myself modeled after the reflections of my Everybody Committee
I promised to take better care of myself.
Tuesday morning my heart started pounding when I sat up in bed. I dressed slowly and laid down on the couch with the heating pad. Hours later, when that hadn't helped, I called for a doctor's appointment. I asked what would feel best while I waited, and the answer was a hot shower and a movie with subtitles [Where Do We Go Now?, which I highly recommend].
Later, after two doctors, two EKGs, a chest xray, and many blood tests, my heart was pronounced healthy. However, my ribs are out of alignment and need attention.
My daughter gently insisted I take her massage appointment Wednesday morning. My massage therapist worked on my ribs, front and back, my shoulders, neck, and diaphragm for over an hour. We talked about images that came to mind: pliable ribs; a diaphragm that expands when I exhale and deflates when I inhale; loose shoulders; and a head gently perched on soft neck muscles.
I told her I have been hard on myself, and when she asked if I was done with that I said yes. I told her that scenes from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun came to mind: the dry faucet that eventually runs with water; the strangers that become family; the woman who grows into a life different than what she expected but exactly what she wanted. We talked about the challenge of living a luscious, juicy life full of what we want, not what we thought we had to accept.
Before Wednesday, when I imagined my heart, I thought of it protected by the surrounding ribs close by, rigid, and watchful. What if those ribs relaxed and spread out, my lungs had room to breathe, and my heart had room to open? What would that feel like?
The journey continues....
As I read the article I made a mental list of the names of those I needed to kick off my Committee. It took more thought to create a list of replacement members.
Then it came to me. You, you who read here, are on my Everybody Committee. Your encouragement and support is what rings in my ears when I feel lost and unsure, when I question how I got where I am and what comes next. Your insights enlighten me, your faith in me fills my heart. I have chosen you as the mirror that reflects the "me" I can't see but most want to be.
For the past several days I have carried with me your positive comments on my last post. I awoke on Saturday with a soreness in the muscles in my chest. I had no symptoms of a heart attack, but the bruised feeling brought my awareness to my heart. I thought about how hard I have been on myself, frustrated and disappointed and sad. At night I went to bed worried and not feeling well. What helped me relax were kind words to myself modeled after the reflections of my Everybody Committee
I promised to take better care of myself.
Tuesday morning my heart started pounding when I sat up in bed. I dressed slowly and laid down on the couch with the heating pad. Hours later, when that hadn't helped, I called for a doctor's appointment. I asked what would feel best while I waited, and the answer was a hot shower and a movie with subtitles [Where Do We Go Now?, which I highly recommend].
Later, after two doctors, two EKGs, a chest xray, and many blood tests, my heart was pronounced healthy. However, my ribs are out of alignment and need attention.
My daughter gently insisted I take her massage appointment Wednesday morning. My massage therapist worked on my ribs, front and back, my shoulders, neck, and diaphragm for over an hour. We talked about images that came to mind: pliable ribs; a diaphragm that expands when I exhale and deflates when I inhale; loose shoulders; and a head gently perched on soft neck muscles.
I told her I have been hard on myself, and when she asked if I was done with that I said yes. I told her that scenes from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun came to mind: the dry faucet that eventually runs with water; the strangers that become family; the woman who grows into a life different than what she expected but exactly what she wanted. We talked about the challenge of living a luscious, juicy life full of what we want, not what we thought we had to accept.
Before Wednesday, when I imagined my heart, I thought of it protected by the surrounding ribs close by, rigid, and watchful. What if those ribs relaxed and spread out, my lungs had room to breathe, and my heart had room to open? What would that feel like?
The journey continues....
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Hope Springs
*I share no details that are not obvious in previews.*
On Sunday Ken and I saw the movie Hope Springs. Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones look their ages in complex, adult performances that are worthy of a mature audience. There were moments when tension on screen rendered the theater you-could-hear-a-pin-drop quiet.
It is long past due time that a movie like this has been made.
Kay and Arnold have been married 31 years. She works at Coldwater Creek [I need to finally use that coupon] and he is an accountant. They have a beautiful home.
The reviews of the movie that I've seen summarize the surface premise of the movie. They call it a dramedy. There was a woman in the theater who laughed uproariously are regular intervals, often the only sound heard because the rest of us did not find the truth of the story funny. The couple on screen act out the reality of many middle-aged couples in this country. Their not knowing how to get past the apparent indifference is hard to watch. The fact that Kay is so desperate to try speaks volumes about what she has invested. The fact that Arnold goes with her to Maine illustrates that he understands how serious Kay is about this trip. The hardest thing to watch, and possibly the truest element of the movie, is that there is no guarantee that there will be a happy ending.
I think the movie should be rated R, not because of explicit language or nudity but because of the mature subject matter. The writer, the director, and the actors, including Steve Carell, honestly deal with issues of a couple who have been married three decades.
I would recommend the movie for all middle-aged married couples.
If you haven't faced the problems that Kay and Arnold have, it will give you a look at what some couples are dealing with behind closed doors, too embarrassed to share their unhappiness with anyone, even each other.
If you recognize Kay and Arnold's situation, it helps to know that other couples have experiences similar to yours.
Ken and I enjoyed the movie. We recognize the distance apart that Kay and Arnold are feeling, and we know what it feels like to not know how the story ends. For us, for now, we are in a good place. The movie is a good reminder that it takes work to stay here.
On Sunday Ken and I saw the movie Hope Springs. Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones look their ages in complex, adult performances that are worthy of a mature audience. There were moments when tension on screen rendered the theater you-could-hear-a-pin-drop quiet.
It is long past due time that a movie like this has been made.
Kay and Arnold have been married 31 years. She works at Coldwater Creek [I need to finally use that coupon] and he is an accountant. They have a beautiful home.
The reviews of the movie that I've seen summarize the surface premise of the movie. They call it a dramedy. There was a woman in the theater who laughed uproariously are regular intervals, often the only sound heard because the rest of us did not find the truth of the story funny. The couple on screen act out the reality of many middle-aged couples in this country. Their not knowing how to get past the apparent indifference is hard to watch. The fact that Kay is so desperate to try speaks volumes about what she has invested. The fact that Arnold goes with her to Maine illustrates that he understands how serious Kay is about this trip. The hardest thing to watch, and possibly the truest element of the movie, is that there is no guarantee that there will be a happy ending.
I think the movie should be rated R, not because of explicit language or nudity but because of the mature subject matter. The writer, the director, and the actors, including Steve Carell, honestly deal with issues of a couple who have been married three decades.
I would recommend the movie for all middle-aged married couples.
If you haven't faced the problems that Kay and Arnold have, it will give you a look at what some couples are dealing with behind closed doors, too embarrassed to share their unhappiness with anyone, even each other.
If you recognize Kay and Arnold's situation, it helps to know that other couples have experiences similar to yours.
Ken and I enjoyed the movie. We recognize the distance apart that Kay and Arnold are feeling, and we know what it feels like to not know how the story ends. For us, for now, we are in a good place. The movie is a good reminder that it takes work to stay here.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Three Days Home
I am home. We arrived home after midnight Monday, so I have actually been home for three days. The re-entry has been slow going. I keep thinking I will get a handle on being in this place again, but life keeps happening so I have decided that it may be awhile before I get a handle on things.
So here I am. Photos are still in the camera, safely I hope but who knows for sure, and I will post my favorites later.
The trip was indeed delightful, even more so than I expected.
Los Gatos, California, where my son and daughter-in-law live, is a beautiful city. Their apartment is in a quiet residential neighborhood and a short walk to the downtown area, which has every kind of shop, bakery, and restaurant that you could hope for. We enjoyed getting to know a bit about where they live, and we even had a chance to meet our son's co-workers. The sun shone every day, and there was a lovely breeze in the valley.
Then we stayed with friends in San Ramon, where we ate more good food, attended Shakespeare's Henry V in the park, enjoyed more good wine, and saw the movie Safety Not Guaranteed ~ all of which I highly recommend.
The drive up Highway 101 was beautiful, moving from the redwoods of California to the coast of Oregon, with ocean on one side and forest on the other. Portland, which is named for Portland, Maine we learned, is a great city. We stayed right downtown, where we could walk down to the waterfront, over to Powell's Books and The Real Mother Goose Shop, and up to the Museum of Art.
Before we knew it we were headed for Seattle, where we stayed at The Moore Hotel, a unique and interesting place where I hope to stay again. It was great to spend time with our son and see many of the city's sights. We experienced hot sunny days, cool nights, a cold blustery morning, and even a thunderstorm while we were there. Pike Place Market is at its best early in the morning, and the original Starbucks is not busy at 6:45 on a Thursday evening. The buses run fairly often and are a nice reprieve from climbing the steep hills.
Then it was time to come home. I wasn't ready, but I don't know when I would have been. It was wonderful to spend time with people I like, to eat good food and drink good wine, and to see new places. I like nice hotels. I love cities.
But it was time to come home to the woods, back to real life. I figured I would need a couple days to regroup, and thankfully I was able to schedule a massage for my second day home. My body was grateful.
Today I started to feel myself again. There are still piles of laundry to do because the dehumidifier in the laundry room has given up the ghost, but I did some research and decided which one to buy tomorrow. The skies cleared so I hung jeans on the line this afternoon.
Tuesday night I heated hot dogs in a fry pan, opened a bag of chips, and called it dinner. A bit of grocery shopping and some recouped energy later, we've had cold salads and fresh fruit to eat. I was pretty pleased with my CD selections this evening as I prepared pasta salad, until we realized that one of our seventeen-year-old speakers has bit the dust. More research and cost comparisons and we found a good deal on newegg.com. We can't live without our tunes:)
I haven't dared to turn on my laptop yet. The cord got really warm before we left, and the way things are falling apart around here I decided I better wait until I am ready to quickly download everything on it to a thumb drive before I start it up.
Fingers crossed that photos download to the desktop in good shape. We captured some moments we will savor for a long time. It was certainly a trip that I won't forget.
I am already making plans for next time....
So here I am. Photos are still in the camera, safely I hope but who knows for sure, and I will post my favorites later.
The trip was indeed delightful, even more so than I expected.
Los Gatos, California, where my son and daughter-in-law live, is a beautiful city. Their apartment is in a quiet residential neighborhood and a short walk to the downtown area, which has every kind of shop, bakery, and restaurant that you could hope for. We enjoyed getting to know a bit about where they live, and we even had a chance to meet our son's co-workers. The sun shone every day, and there was a lovely breeze in the valley.
Then we stayed with friends in San Ramon, where we ate more good food, attended Shakespeare's Henry V in the park, enjoyed more good wine, and saw the movie Safety Not Guaranteed ~ all of which I highly recommend.
The drive up Highway 101 was beautiful, moving from the redwoods of California to the coast of Oregon, with ocean on one side and forest on the other. Portland, which is named for Portland, Maine we learned, is a great city. We stayed right downtown, where we could walk down to the waterfront, over to Powell's Books and The Real Mother Goose Shop, and up to the Museum of Art.
Before we knew it we were headed for Seattle, where we stayed at The Moore Hotel, a unique and interesting place where I hope to stay again. It was great to spend time with our son and see many of the city's sights. We experienced hot sunny days, cool nights, a cold blustery morning, and even a thunderstorm while we were there. Pike Place Market is at its best early in the morning, and the original Starbucks is not busy at 6:45 on a Thursday evening. The buses run fairly often and are a nice reprieve from climbing the steep hills.
Then it was time to come home. I wasn't ready, but I don't know when I would have been. It was wonderful to spend time with people I like, to eat good food and drink good wine, and to see new places. I like nice hotels. I love cities.
But it was time to come home to the woods, back to real life. I figured I would need a couple days to regroup, and thankfully I was able to schedule a massage for my second day home. My body was grateful.
Today I started to feel myself again. There are still piles of laundry to do because the dehumidifier in the laundry room has given up the ghost, but I did some research and decided which one to buy tomorrow. The skies cleared so I hung jeans on the line this afternoon.
Tuesday night I heated hot dogs in a fry pan, opened a bag of chips, and called it dinner. A bit of grocery shopping and some recouped energy later, we've had cold salads and fresh fruit to eat. I was pretty pleased with my CD selections this evening as I prepared pasta salad, until we realized that one of our seventeen-year-old speakers has bit the dust. More research and cost comparisons and we found a good deal on newegg.com. We can't live without our tunes:)
I haven't dared to turn on my laptop yet. The cord got really warm before we left, and the way things are falling apart around here I decided I better wait until I am ready to quickly download everything on it to a thumb drive before I start it up.
Fingers crossed that photos download to the desktop in good shape. We captured some moments we will savor for a long time. It was certainly a trip that I won't forget.
I am already making plans for next time....
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
An Unlikely Choice
I took myself to the movies tonight. I needed a movie fix.
It has been slim pickin's for new releases so far this year, so much so that I have watched again my favorite movies from last year. We use Netflix, but I got tired of waiting for The Help and Moneyball so I bought those two. I enjoyed again two movies I relished as matinees last summer, Win Win and The Beginners. I have yet to see Iron Lady and Albert Nobbs, so they have been saved in the Netflix queue.
Last year spoiled me. It was a great year for quality movies with solid performances. I must have had a sense there would be a bumper crop because at the beginning of last year I set a goal to see 24 movies in the theater. By year's end I had seen 25.
Desperate for a big-screen fix I found a showing of a movie I had seen previewed. It looked interesting, a documentary in Japanese about the highest rated sushi chef in Japan. I don't eat sushi, but after seeing Jiro Dreams of Sushi I would travel to Japan to eat in Jiro's restaurant. His story is one of a man who loves his work and feels that there is always room for improvement. His oldest son, age 50, does most of the work at the restaurant but will not officially take over until Jiro steps down, which neither one of them is anxious to have happen. They work hard and take pride in what they do. Jiro advises everyone to do their best at whatever they do.
Sometimes a movie finds me.
It has been slim pickin's for new releases so far this year, so much so that I have watched again my favorite movies from last year. We use Netflix, but I got tired of waiting for The Help and Moneyball so I bought those two. I enjoyed again two movies I relished as matinees last summer, Win Win and The Beginners. I have yet to see Iron Lady and Albert Nobbs, so they have been saved in the Netflix queue.
Last year spoiled me. It was a great year for quality movies with solid performances. I must have had a sense there would be a bumper crop because at the beginning of last year I set a goal to see 24 movies in the theater. By year's end I had seen 25.
Desperate for a big-screen fix I found a showing of a movie I had seen previewed. It looked interesting, a documentary in Japanese about the highest rated sushi chef in Japan. I don't eat sushi, but after seeing Jiro Dreams of Sushi I would travel to Japan to eat in Jiro's restaurant. His story is one of a man who loves his work and feels that there is always room for improvement. His oldest son, age 50, does most of the work at the restaurant but will not officially take over until Jiro steps down, which neither one of them is anxious to have happen. They work hard and take pride in what they do. Jiro advises everyone to do their best at whatever they do.
Sometimes a movie finds me.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
One Month Down
Coffee tasted really good tonight.
I have thought of each evening this week as a retreat. Ken has been out of town, and I have brought home no work. Dinners have been simple and the only sounds in the house have been the ones I make. I have watched three movies, one each night; the only one worth mentioning is Buck, a documentary about Buck Brannaman, the real-life horse whisperer. I needed something uplifting and that movie fit the bill perfectly.
I am making progress with students at school. I have been able to assign classwork and projects that have brought up just about every student's grades [many were failing]. Most days are manageable, though there is at least one day a week that everything goes haywire and I just hang on until 2:15. There is no "down time" with students, not a minute that I can let down my guard or not be on my toes. There is no easy banter, though students seem to have more respect for me now that they know I'm staying and will work with them to be successful.
It is exhausting.
I am tired. I feel tired and I look tired and I act tired. I have been in bed each night by 10:30, which is really really early for me. I have been sleeping through until 5:30, which is really really early for me but it's when I need to wake up to have time to "wake up" before I leave the house at 6:30.
Last weekend I started lobbying, again, for a king-size bed. I've wanted one for many years, but there wasn't space in any room in the old house. So we bought a nice bed. We are on our second mattress and box spring, and I still like the bed, but I sleep so much better when I have personal space. Ken has always taken the suggestion personally, but it's not anything against him ~ it's that I need room to sleep. He conceded last weekend that if it's something I really want, I should start bed shopping. After three full nights' sleep this week, it's time to invest in a bigger bed. I have also noticed that I sleep better when we stay in a hotel with a king-size bed. It's time....
I woke up this morning to an inch of snow on the ground and my car. I considered putting it in the garage last evening, until I remembered that the motorcycle is now parked in my spot. Yes, we had weather warm enough for Ken to go for a ride already. Then temps dropped into the 20's and 30's. There was hail today on my drive home, and we may get more precipitation tonight.
One month down. Ten weeks to go....
It's time for bed.
I have thought of each evening this week as a retreat. Ken has been out of town, and I have brought home no work. Dinners have been simple and the only sounds in the house have been the ones I make. I have watched three movies, one each night; the only one worth mentioning is Buck, a documentary about Buck Brannaman, the real-life horse whisperer. I needed something uplifting and that movie fit the bill perfectly.
I am making progress with students at school. I have been able to assign classwork and projects that have brought up just about every student's grades [many were failing]. Most days are manageable, though there is at least one day a week that everything goes haywire and I just hang on until 2:15. There is no "down time" with students, not a minute that I can let down my guard or not be on my toes. There is no easy banter, though students seem to have more respect for me now that they know I'm staying and will work with them to be successful.
It is exhausting.
I am tired. I feel tired and I look tired and I act tired. I have been in bed each night by 10:30, which is really really early for me. I have been sleeping through until 5:30, which is really really early for me but it's when I need to wake up to have time to "wake up" before I leave the house at 6:30.
Last weekend I started lobbying, again, for a king-size bed. I've wanted one for many years, but there wasn't space in any room in the old house. So we bought a nice bed. We are on our second mattress and box spring, and I still like the bed, but I sleep so much better when I have personal space. Ken has always taken the suggestion personally, but it's not anything against him ~ it's that I need room to sleep. He conceded last weekend that if it's something I really want, I should start bed shopping. After three full nights' sleep this week, it's time to invest in a bigger bed. I have also noticed that I sleep better when we stay in a hotel with a king-size bed. It's time....
I woke up this morning to an inch of snow on the ground and my car. I considered putting it in the garage last evening, until I remembered that the motorcycle is now parked in my spot. Yes, we had weather warm enough for Ken to go for a ride already. Then temps dropped into the 20's and 30's. There was hail today on my drive home, and we may get more precipitation tonight.
One month down. Ten weeks to go....
It's time for bed.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Not Giving Up
Have you ever been in the middle of a project when you were ready to give up? You'd tried everything you could think of, nothing was working, and you wanted to give up. But you couldn't. You were smack dab in the middle ~ you couldn't go back because too many things had changed, and you couldn't go forward because you couldn't see the path ahead.
Then something happens, an event or a conversation.
Or nothing happens, or nothing visible to the eye happens. Maybe enough time passes that things work out, or the perspective about the process changes, or the desired outcome is no longer the same. It's possible to not be aware that things have changed until they have.
This train of thought just put me in mind of a quote from the movie Life As a House. The main character, George, shares an insight: "Change can be so constant that you don't even feel a difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don't know that your life is better or worse until it is...or it can just blow you away and make you something different in an instant."
I'm still making sense of all the pieces.
Two things happened this week that started me thinking about all of this....
The first thing ~ I have small pads of paper all over the house. This week I changed over my sewing table from the small cabinet I've used for many years to a modern computer desk that gives me more room to work. In moving things around I discovered various notes I've taken while sewing. One caught my attention. On August 15 I wrote: The person I am now is not content with the life I have, yet that life until this moment has made me the person I have become. I didn't know how to reconcile those two things.
I didn't know what to do at the time. Things felt out of my control so I stopped thinking I had control over anything. I couldn't give up because it was my life that I was in the middle of. I did give in, slow down, and focus on each day.
It has been two months since I wrote those words.
Then this week the second thing happened. I was talking to a friend about what I've been up to lately. All of a sudden she said, "Sharon, you're making a life." Her comment took us both by surprise, but she's right.
Slowly, without realizing it, I am making a life that suits the person I am now.
Then something happens, an event or a conversation.
Or nothing happens, or nothing visible to the eye happens. Maybe enough time passes that things work out, or the perspective about the process changes, or the desired outcome is no longer the same. It's possible to not be aware that things have changed until they have.
This train of thought just put me in mind of a quote from the movie Life As a House. The main character, George, shares an insight: "Change can be so constant that you don't even feel a difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don't know that your life is better or worse until it is...or it can just blow you away and make you something different in an instant."
I'm still making sense of all the pieces.
Two things happened this week that started me thinking about all of this....
The first thing ~ I have small pads of paper all over the house. This week I changed over my sewing table from the small cabinet I've used for many years to a modern computer desk that gives me more room to work. In moving things around I discovered various notes I've taken while sewing. One caught my attention. On August 15 I wrote: The person I am now is not content with the life I have, yet that life until this moment has made me the person I have become. I didn't know how to reconcile those two things.
I didn't know what to do at the time. Things felt out of my control so I stopped thinking I had control over anything. I couldn't give up because it was my life that I was in the middle of. I did give in, slow down, and focus on each day.
It has been two months since I wrote those words.
Then this week the second thing happened. I was talking to a friend about what I've been up to lately. All of a sudden she said, "Sharon, you're making a life." Her comment took us both by surprise, but she's right.
Slowly, without realizing it, I am making a life that suits the person I am now.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
A Jewel In This Crowne
Summer movies are typically made for a certain demographic, namely people who enjoy watching things blow up and comic book characters come to life.
I keep my eyes peeled for summer releases that have a good story to tell.
The first time I saw the preview for Larry Crowne I knew that it was a movie I was going to enjoy. I mean, come on, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts? It doesn't get better than that.
I was not disappointed, but apparently some of the movie critics have been. Some think the movie is not realistic enough because the main character, Larry, is too happy.
Quite the contrary. Larry is living the way people who want to be happy are advised to live ~ he lives in the present moment and accepts life the way it happens. When he loses a job he enjoys and does well, he feels awful about it. But he picks himself up and figures out what he needs to do next. Then he takes action.
The movie has heart and humor and hope.
It's too bad that critics only recognize violent behavior, false characters, and crass slapstick.
Personally, I like to have heart, humor, and hope in my life... and my movies.
I keep my eyes peeled for summer releases that have a good story to tell.
The first time I saw the preview for Larry Crowne I knew that it was a movie I was going to enjoy. I mean, come on, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts? It doesn't get better than that.
I was not disappointed, but apparently some of the movie critics have been. Some think the movie is not realistic enough because the main character, Larry, is too happy.
Quite the contrary. Larry is living the way people who want to be happy are advised to live ~ he lives in the present moment and accepts life the way it happens. When he loses a job he enjoys and does well, he feels awful about it. But he picks himself up and figures out what he needs to do next. Then he takes action.
The movie has heart and humor and hope.
It's too bad that critics only recognize violent behavior, false characters, and crass slapstick.
Personally, I like to have heart, humor, and hope in my life... and my movies.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
A Day Out
Ken and I had a day in Portland. We ate good food, drank good coffee, bought nutritious groceries, and saw a movie.
Thank you for the recommendations. I have wanted to see The Fighter, but it wasn't showing at the intown theater. We decided on True Grit, but the first showing was too late in the afternoon.
So we saw The Illusionist. It's not our usual type of movie, an animated feature film for adults. There was little dialogue, and most of what there was was in other languages. But there was something endearing about the story ~ an elderly magician takes a young woman under his wing. There were funny characters and sad moments. In the end the irony is that what he thinks is true is disproved by what he has been able to do for the young woman.
The movie was a nice change from our usual fare. And now I can still look forward to seeing The Fighter and True Grit.
Thank you for the recommendations. I have wanted to see The Fighter, but it wasn't showing at the intown theater. We decided on True Grit, but the first showing was too late in the afternoon.
So we saw The Illusionist. It's not our usual type of movie, an animated feature film for adults. There was little dialogue, and most of what there was was in other languages. But there was something endearing about the story ~ an elderly magician takes a young woman under his wing. There were funny characters and sad moments. In the end the irony is that what he thinks is true is disproved by what he has been able to do for the young woman.
The movie was a nice change from our usual fare. And now I can still look forward to seeing The Fighter and True Grit.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Looking For A Good Movie
Ken and I would like to go to the movies tomorrow.
I've seen The King's Speech and thought it was excellent.
I saw The Social Network and got totally immersed in it in the theater. We watched it at home last night, and it did not translate well to DVD. There were parts where the sound was not good, and the people seemed harsh when I watched from my futon chair in the soft light of the family room.
Do you have any recommendations for movies currently in theaters? The Academy Awards are in two weeks and I haven't seen much of what has been nominated in any category.
I've seen The King's Speech and thought it was excellent.
I saw The Social Network and got totally immersed in it in the theater. We watched it at home last night, and it did not translate well to DVD. There were parts where the sound was not good, and the people seemed harsh when I watched from my futon chair in the soft light of the family room.
Do you have any recommendations for movies currently in theaters? The Academy Awards are in two weeks and I haven't seen much of what has been nominated in any category.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
