Two Movies

I used to love going to movies. I'd go to movies every night of the week, sometimes even double features! Lately, I don't know. I'm tired of going and being disappointed. Watching them at home, there are so few that inspire me. Even when I enjoy them at the time, I hate myself in the morning. But I can't always be the wet blanket, so this weekend I agreed to rent a movie with my younger daughter on Friday night, and go out to see a movie with my eldest tonight. Here's the rundown:

Taking Woodstock -- "Based on a true story", a tale about the small town that hosted the Woodstock festival in 1969. This had gotten so-so reviews, and having lived through the sixties, I was prepared to hate it. Surprisingly, it was altogether enjoyable. Accurate? I doubt it. But fun and poignant at the same time. I think what saved it was the fact that, where the film maker could have been extremely heavy-handed with the visual imagery and the hippy stereotypes, instead it was handled with a very light touch. So you could laugh about the theater troupe doing Chekov in the nude, instead of sink into your chair and squirm with embarrassment. And the best part? When the protagonist's father, a Russian Jewish immigrant, called someone a schnook. I haven't heard that word -- haven't even thought of it -- since my parents died.

An Education -- A screenplay by Nick Hornby is reason enough to see this one. Takes place in 1961, the story of a 16 year old English schoolgirl who takes up with an older, more worldly man. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling it for you, but it is definitely well worth seeing. Well acted, entertaining, thought-provoking …

Both movies are recommended.

Happy Birthday to one of the Lights of my life!

She was almost a groundhog. It was February 3, 1996 around 10 a.m. when our third daughter, Grace Marguerite, entered the world. Outside was bitterly cold --  -27˚F. While in labor I made my husband and my friend Fay walk me around the block in the wee hours of morning. Twice.

I haven't looked at the photos from her birth-day in a long time. I am a little unprepared for the emotions that are welling up. Grace's birth was such an enormous joy, but -- perhaps unfairly for her -- it was imbued with an incredible mix of emotions: grief, anxiety, and hope. She was born exactly a month after my dad's sudden passing, and we were still reeling from that. Also, as many of my faithful readers know, Grace was born subsequently to her older sister Sophie's death. (It pleases me to notice that in the upper left corner of the photo of Ed holding Grace, is another photograph of Anna holding her newborn baby sister Sophie.)

Grace came and helped us heal. I smile like the sun when I think about that day. Happy Birthday, dear Grace!

Photographs taken by Fay McClurg