Some Recent Notes

Last night I watched (again) the saddest movie I have ever seen, and certainly one of the best--"Legends of the Fall," 1994.

Putting Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins in the same film conjures up magic. The same thing happens in "Meet Joe Black."

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Here's a poem I wrote on Jan. 10:

Water Sign

Water-colored, my eyes are
turquoise, blue-green
I crave the rain, clear aquamarine
water-bearer to earth, air and fire

Clouds cheer me, wet, weighty
with jeweled drops airborne
to anoint dry lips that mourn
for moisture in sea, sand, humanity

Drought alters all that lives and thrives
My eyes reflect the face
of earth in sere and sun-burnt poise

When silver rain revives
this parched and withered place  
my eyes turn back from amber to turquoise

November at Last

Yesterday for dinner I had turnip greens, green beans, ripe tomatoes, and the best cornbread I've ever had. The bread was from a Mexican mix, with jalapenos and I don't know what-all. And then came bunches and bunches of trick-or-treat visitors--they got about fifteen dollars worth of candy. I had to raid my kitchen candy bin to eke out the treats. I always give individually-wrapped stuff, Hershey minis, etc. Wish I had thought to photograph some of the little gremlins, cutest things ever!

I guess November is my second-favorite month of the year. Just hope the weather cools down some and rains some. This week and next, I'll have people around fixing the roof and the outside gas gadgets, cleaning up the leaf-covered yard, and other things. Have already had the furnace inspected and the gas turned off from the wrecked grill and burnt-out yard lamp.

I read on the news that one of my favorite actors, Val Kilmer, is battling cancer. He's having fun with his art work, though. He starred in some of my favorite movies: The Ghost and the Darkness, Thunderheart, The Saint, and one with Kim Basinger that I don't remember the title. Also the best movie I've seen about Billy the Kid. Great actor.

Rough Weekend

Man, I've had one! From the middle of Friday night until sometime this morning, I was thinking maybe it was time to buy the farm. Severe abdominal pain, bad enough to make me moan and groan while stifling screams. I called the doctor's office yesterday, but both Onae and Dr. G. were off this week on vacation. The covering doctor said go to a treatment clinic over on the Southside for "further evaluation," but I decided to wait one more day.

So this afternoon I found I had enough energy to take a shower and wash my straggly hair.

Yesterday, Pat picked up my prescriptions for me from Walmart, and brought some cottage cheese and canned pears, plus a big bottle of Sprite and a bag of spearmint Lifesavers, which is what I've eaten ever since plus a can of chicken noodle soup. I think the mints did the most to settle my stomach. Seems like I might have had a touch of food poisoning--I blame some chicken legs of which I had made a sort of barbecue mess. I turned nauseated while trying to eat it Friday, and later poured the whole megilla down the disposer, except for the bones.

I just watched a good blood-and-guts movie starring John Travolta. 1999, I think it was made. "The General's Daughter."

Missed the book club meeting this morning, because I wasn't sure the nightmare was over. I still have a little pain, but not enough to make me holler.

"Why, then, the world's mine oyster!"

TCM went Shakespeare-wild last night on TV. They showed Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and the 1935 A Midsummer Night's Dream. I watched a little bit of Macbeth, but don't really enjoy looking at Orson Wells. I watched all of Hamlet.

I take back most of the negative things I ever thought about Laurence Olivier. His Hamlet is one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life. I had never seen this one before. L.O. didn't go into his usual histrionics until late in the film. Shortly into Romeo and Juliet, I went to sleep in my chair, so I got up and went to bed.

Note: The characters Francisco and Horatio, and old Polonius, reminded me of Edward de Vere's two cousins Francis and Horace de Vere, and Lord Burghley of whom Polonius in the play is a word-for-word-for-word copy.

Oh, me!

I had forgot that I have a walk-in closet. Last night I got a bee in my bonnet and partially cleaned it out.

So far there are two trash bags of stuff to throw away, one trash bag of stuff to donate, and the rest of those items out in the floor. Still in the closet are two big suitcases, several smaller bags. 2 bolts of fabric, & a three-shelf wire rack full of folded sweaters and things. Not counting the hanging clothes and the things [dolls] on the high built-in shelves that I'm ignoring because I can't reach them.

That pile of stuff in the hall outside my door are a set of queen-sized sheets that I had lost, and more very large pieces of fabric.

I need to have a yard sale. But as sure as I schedule a week-end sale, the skies will open up and pour rivers of water all over everything.

Oh--the shoes are against the wall on the other side of the bed, all except those old hikers beside the big doll's box. Wurra wurra!

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9:00 p.m. I just watched The Uninvited (1944) on TCM, with Ray Milland, Gail Russell, Ruth Hussey and Donald Crisp, all great actors. I don't know which ghost movie I like better, The Uninvited, or The Haunting of Hill House, (1959) with Julie Harris, Claire Bloom and Richard Johnson. The Uninvited is rather naïve in some ways, partly owing to Ray Milland's sunny personality. The Haunting of Hill House is a bit more sophisticated, and a hundred times scarier, but I'm not fond of any of the actors except Claire Bloom.

"Jump, Alec!"

I woke up very early this morning, did a few chores, then sat down to drink my coffee and watch "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" on Movieplex, one of the most complicated and best movies I've ever seen. Richard Burton, Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner are three of the best actors I've ever seen.

I've seen this film several times. It's better than John Le Carre's book on which it's based, better mainly because of those three and a bunch of other good actors. I like it better every time I watch it, because I understand it better and catch new details.

Yesterday Jed came over from Atlanta, and we went to my Cardiology clinic appointment. Dr. Gupta wanted me to come back next Tuesday for an electrocardiogram, after my appointment with Dr. Gruman. I had tried to schedule the latter the same day as the former, but they said Dr. Gruman had an appointment Thursday afternoon himself. I hope he's okay.

Last night Jed and I watched two really good science-fiction movies, "The Martian," and I forget the title of the other one. Matt Damon was in both, but Matthew McConaughey was the star of the second one. Those were the two best "new" movies I've seen. I had read "The Martian" book, but I think the movie was even better.

In the news today: Harper Lee has died at age 89.

The Way We Were

I have resisted watching this movie again ever since the first time I saw it. Because it's a heart-breaker. But today I broke down and watched it again. It's impossible to describe, but so beautiful. I always said Streisand was the prettiest ugly girl I ever saw, and Redford is incomparable.

I Lay There Like a Log.

But didn't sleep at all last night. I should have found a picture of a Yule log, but I'm not that cheerful.
Last night I drank a glass of wine before going to bed, and I felt pretty good and brave. To heck with the burglar. But I couldn't sleep.

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Yesterday I cleaned out a cabinet where I could store stuff from my laundry closet. It may take most of next year, but I'm determined to clean that space. I also shopped for a few groceries, at Food Giant because I know where everything is. I can only shop for half an hour or less before I go back and collapse in the car.

Today I plan to address a few Christmas cards, renew a few prescriptions, and pay a couple of bills online. If I can stay awake till 8 or 9 p.m., I'll go to bed early.

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I watched part of "The Wiz" on TV, whichever night it was on. The film was visually stunning, but the sound was so loud and confused, I finally gave it up. It's wonderful for people who like noisy musicals.

Entertainment

I just watched a little movie of "The Bowery Boys," Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall and them. Made back when comedy (slapstick) was sort of funny. This one featured a giant mobster named Patsy, who threw the guys around somewhat but finally got nabbed.

I guess that was the best thing I've seen on TV this week, that I hadn't already seen. And I may have seen it back in 1946. Now, TCM is showing silent films, and Hallmark has quit showing "Murder She Wrote" and "Diagnosis Murder," in favor of an endless flow of new insipid little romances with a Christmas theme.

On Thursday, I did watch the finale of "Project Runway," but the B.B.'s were better.

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Yesterday, after one unsuccessful day of trying to get Walmart to take my money, I finally succeeded in paying $326 for three prescriptions. On Thursday their computer wouldn't take my check or my credit card, so I had to go to the bank next day and explain to the handsome manager that my checks wouldn't go through, get the money, and trek back to Walmart. The first four Rx's cost $50, which I had paid with the credit card after two or three attempts.

The $300 ones were for 90-day supplies, so they'll last until February. But they did cost the grocery money for this month. Luckily, I've got the pantry and freezer full of comestibles. And some Halloween candy.

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This morning, the cat I was dreaming that was curled up on the bed against me, jumped off the bed and woke me up.

"Round up the usual suspects!"

Last Friday evening, TCM showed two of my favorite films, "Casablanca" and "Gaslight."

I slept all day Saturday (yesterday). I kept meaning to get up, but then it started raining and put me back to sleep. Then I dreamed Gerald T. and I were trying to put together a Department of Neurology newsletter because its editor, Dr. H., had died. I had been her assistant and knew most of the online procedure, but had to enlist Gerald's help with the button-pushing. As far as I know, the real Dr. H. is still practicing, and the real Gerald T. had never touched a computer when he was a Social Security claims rep. about 30 years ago.

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I love some of the translations on Facebook. This one is typical: Video of a bird and a kitten playing, and the caption is "Tort en Jip lekker aan het spelen. Het blijft bijzonder hoe alle dieren bij ons zo leuk samengaan."

 

The translation:

"Tort and jip good playing. It remains particularly how all the animals at us so cute can coexist."

Murder By Decree

Last night on Netflix I watched the best Sherlock Holmes movie I've ever seen, "Murder By Decree," 1979 from Canada. It has some of the best and most attractive actors as stars: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, Donald Sutherland, John Gielgud--and Genevieve Bujold as Annie Crook! I've only seen her before in "Anne of the Thousand Days" with Richard Burton. Great actress.

My TV has done something that I haven't figured out how to undo. When I hit the power button, a blue screen comes on with the HD1 logo jumping around, and nothing I've tried makes it go to the channels.

"They stayed away in droves." - Dorothy Parker

Ramey and I went to the play. I wish I could say it was excellent. For amateurs, I guess it was good. They shouted to an almost empty house. But then, it was a matinee. The furniture onstage was beautiful. Victorian, complete with price tag and bar code on one piece. I've never seen a play I didn't like, and this one was no exception. But maybe for different reasons.

One of my favorite movies is "Beaches," Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. I watched it on TV sometime over the weekend. That girl who played 12-year-old C.C. Bloom was so good! The ending makes it a tear-jerker.

I also recently watched Tom Stoppard's play, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," on TV.

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Speaking of TV, the sound has gone out on my set. I can get pictures, but no sound. Can't watch Jeopardy. Well, I can watch it but can't hear it. It went out suddenly yesterday, and I thought for a minute I had lost my hearing, but the tinnitus corrected that impression.

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4:28 p.m. - I hear the storm a-coming.

The Thirteenth Warrior

It made Omar Sharif quit acting for a while. The public didn't spend their money on it. Panned by Roger Ebert, belittled by Rotten Tomatoes, regretted by Michael Crichton, this is still one of my favorite movies.

In the late nineties and early 2000's, there was a rash of books and movies about Beowulf. At least that's when I read and saw some of them. The ones I liked best were John Gardner's Grendel, and this Michael Crichton-spawned movie. The worst one was a "sci-fi" take.

I wasn't surprised that "The Thirteenth Warrior" was not popular. Whatever prompted studios to make such films is what was surprising. I wonder what percentage of the population would admit to having read Beowulf. "I had to read it in college." I had to read a lot of things in college, and some of them I hardly even cracked a book on. Paradise Lost, for example. All you have to do is listen to lectures and take notes, and read what you like. I liked Beowulf, and Vladimir Kulich as  Buliwyf was a work of art.

Tracy-Hepburn Movies

Yesterday I watched "The Seventh Cross" on TCM. Spencer Tracy was, as usual, almost paralytic. But it was a pretty good movie, largely because Hepburn wasn't in it.

I couldn't get to sleep for most of the night, but when I finally did, I slept (and dreamed crazy dreams) until India called me a few minutes ago to remind me of Pat's birthday, which I had forgot for the first time in my life, probably. But now I'm up and running.

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Pat's birthday cake was prettier than this, but I forgot to take my camera. We had a lovely time at her b.d. celebration.

One day this week, Pat took half-a-dozen copies of my poetry book to the library to make a little sale display of it. She said if anybody bought a copy, they would put the payment in a little drawer for me to pick up later.

WDG grocery occupied only half of the old Food World building, but now Ace Hardware has filled the other side of the building.

This morning I dreamed I received a notice that Ace Hardware had received a package addressed to me, but the store was located in Pell City. Major anxiety, because I didn't know if whatever old car I had would make it to Pell City. But Jed (about age 8) and I set out, and when we got there Jed lay down on a couch in the lobby while I went to collect the package. A saleswoman showed me a small mailbox-size cabinet in a wall and said that was where they put packages they received. I opened the cabinet, and found it was really a small box full of sawdust, but feeling around, I pulled out a crumpled up package that had been crammed in under the sawdust, and it was some copies of my book. Then when we left the store, my car had disappeared.

Royal Flash

All I can think to say right now is, Thank you, Jed, for leaving that book here, even though I said I wouldn't read it. I didn't read the dedication page until I had finished the book, or it would have spoiled the surprise for me. Of course, I tumbled right away to the similarity of people and place names to The Prisoner of Zenda, but didn't really get it until the adventure was well under way, and not totally until the end. I liked Rudi better than Rupert of Hentzau.

I see there was a movie of it in 1975, and old Oliver Reed played Bismarck. Most gratifying, the note about Hawkins (Anthony Hope).

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P.S. Flash is no Rudolf Rassendyll, but he has a pretty good heart.

The Day of the Dolphin

I watched this movie on TCM, Thursday night, I think. It's a science fiction film about a scientist (George C. Scott) who teaches a dolphin ("A" or "Baa") to make sounds in English. The only dolphin "word" I could make out was "Baa," until the end. One of the bad guys (John Dehner) asks the dolphin, "Why do you want to stay with Pa?" and it replies, "Baa loves Pa." And of course it made me shed a tear, even though I knew the dolphin voice was really made by a human.

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I think I must have slipped through a crack at The Kirklin Clinic. It's been eight months since my last visit, and they haven't called to remind me of an appointment in all that time. Maybe there aren't any tests left for them to put me through. Lately, a couple of things are bothering me, and I want to tell someone about them, even if it's only an unsympathetic doctor. Mainly, a recurring feeling that my ears are about to explode, which I think is a Meniere's symptom. And you know when you "bump your funny-bone"? That pain occurs spontaneously in my left elbow, more and more frequently, and it sometimes makes me perform curious calisthenics.

Another Good Old Movie

Yesterday TCM showed "The Elephant Man" (1980), for which John Hurt won a BAFTA award as best actor in a leading role. It also had Anthony Hopkins, John Gielgud, Anne Bancroft and Wendy Hiller.

John Hurt must be one of the most versatile and skillful actors in history. He was born in 1940, has had hundreds of stage, screen and TV roles, and is currently in another (filming) movie. The first role I saw him in was Richard Rich in "A Man for All Seasons" (1966), one of the best movies ever made, with one of the best casts ever assembled.

When I was a child, I took it for granted that someday I'd be a movie star. Later accepted the fact that I was just born in the wrong social and economic stratum, in the wrong part of the country. Had to wait for the new millennium even to see some of the best old movies.

Barbarosaaaa!!!

Sunday evening Jed and I watched this old movie from 1982. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Worst Movie "Remake"

"The Manchurian Candidate, 2004" may not be the worst movie I've ever seen. If it hadn't been shown as a remake of the 1962 classic, or if you'd never seen the 1962 classic,--if they hadn't used the same character names, if they hadn't pronounced Eugenie "Ujenay"--

I really do think this is the worst movie I have ever seen. And I hate that, because Denzel Washington, one of my favorite actors, was unfortunate enough to star in it. The "Raymond" and "Josie" characters were so unattractive, you didn't even mind when Raymond drowned her. And Meryl Streep is not scary like Angela Lansbury.