Almost Famous

Just watched Almost Famous again. The movie I resisted so mightily when Tee-Hee insisted ... resisted, despite her insistence ... despite the fact that my sister got it for me that year for Christmas, as I had requested, and it sat it my DVD cabinet for months ... and again, the film made me smile.

And not just because it ended with me feeling rather like William Miller, as always, but because it is a great film.

Two of my favorite quotes from this one (and there are several):

“Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.” (William’s mom, quoting Goethe)

“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.” (Lester Bangs, who reminds me so much of my friend Brett that it is not even funny)

: )

I feel as if I live for Fridays. And weekends simply are not long enough.

Sometimes, I wish I had just enough money to take 2 years off from work. And it would not take much. And I would commit myself to writing, 24/7 ... except during the occasional times I would take day trips, or weekend trips, or maybe even weeks-at-a-time trips to all the places in the United States that I want to see. To be. OK, I would limit myself to 5 places, though there are probably actually hundreds, if I ever sat down and made a list of them all ... but it does not matter because of course I would not have enough money to do anything but write and write and write.

That is probably just an excuse, that 2-year thing, but I would like to give it a try. Not because of necessity or because of illness or the illness of a loved one or anything, just because one day I decided I was going to stay at home instead of going to work, and suddenly, I just started writing and could not stop.

I always think that is what happened to someone like Monet. Except with him, it was painting.

I remember seeing his paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago, and we went one of the first few days of the opening of his exhibit, and the place was absolutely packed, and I found myself getting pissed because, as I walked through the line, past the paintings, people were pushing and shoving, and sometimes I could not even get a good look at a particular piece of work because I was shorter than some of the people in front of me, and so finally, I decided to step back, way back, from the rest of the group. Clear into the middle of the room. And suddenly, all of those colors and images and what-have-you of the paintings became sharp and clear, all because of the distance I had put between myself and the work.

Many of the paintings were shown in series; for example, Wheatstacks, which, truthfully, have always reminded me of bran muffins (Top o’ the Muffin to You!). And from what I could see, Monet just kept painting and kept painting and kept painting the wheatstacks ’til he got ’em right. Or maybe until he got tired of ’em, who knows?

Whatever the case, I am compelled to add some shots from Giverny 2001.



Window



Daisies



Turkeys and Watering Can

: )

Thanks to clouds, I missed the lunar eclipse. Missed the full moon rise last night, too, but managed to stare at its bright whiteness for a bit. Tonight, just as bright.

Wind is picking up; all the leaves will be gone by weekend’s end. October’s end.

New month. New moon sometime soon. New me?

Nah.

: )

I cannot beLIEVE I waited 39 years to get me a down comforter (reversible, at that). OK, so I never would’ve thought to get myself a down comforter when I was a kid, or even as a teen, but what’s my excuse for waiting all this time, wasting these last 17 or 18 years?

It’s like having a whole new bed. Which was already THE most comfortable bed on the entire planet.

(Time for me to head there.)