where everybody knows your name
this is the second library ben and i have been in in two days and in both, the librarians have known their patrons personally. that’s enough to make me want to move to small-town vermont, especially when they’re cute and yuppie (but they still have cheaper gas than even rural upstate new york) and victorian and decorate with tasteful xmas lights.
til now, it’s just been the two of us in my grandparents’ lovely house. two friends are joining us today as should be a segment of ben’s family. in the serene interval between our arrival and theirs, i’ve read 2.5 lemony snicket books, bought 1 audio cd (of book 3: the wide window), watched four movies, cooked, slept, walked, washed dishes, missed my grandfather and my dog, and laughed at ricki lake.
the movies, in order of sublimity, are as follows:
1) breathless. as good as everyone says it is; maybe better. this godard 1959 classic set the new age standard for sexyviolence and nihilism but unlike the vast majority of other such movies ever made it succeeds in seeming unique, beautiful, & surprising. extra plus: it features a fantastic female character who chooses independence over love.
2) caddyshack. actually funny. who knew?
3) my life as a dog. as ben sez, it’s what gives foreign films a bad name. sure it’s sweet and well-acted. it’s also meandering, weirdly paced, long, and somewhat pointless.
4) bridge over the river kwai. speaking of long and somewhat pointless. sir alec as a self-important colonel who feels like civilization rests on his shoulders does not disappoint but the rest of this film, about the brits under sir alec’s command in a japanese prison camp forced to build a bridge, would make edward said choke on his own vomit.
still left to see: shampoo, amarcord, jules & jim, & i’m blanking on the others, all courtesy of the chappaqua public library. and sometime we truly intend to get some skiing in.