Their lack of stretch was one of the signs of their age. They also had holes all over them. I had to make sure to put the right one on the right hand, or the holes would let in the cold air. Today, when performing the steering with one hand teeth grabbing maneuver, one of the gloves dropped to the ground. I gave a movie worthy cry of anguish, but didn’t stop the bike and backtrack to rescue the glove. I just let it go. It was time to move on to another pair of gloves.
Invictus
William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Yes, yes, I did memorize this because of the recently released Eastwood/Freeman/Damon movie. And yes, I memorized it so that I could quote from a poem that appeared in Dead Poets Society.
Initially, I dismissed this poem as being incredibly over-the-top, white-man’s-burden, straight from the Age of Empire. I mean really, where is the village? But then, I had a couple of annoying and rough days at work and the thing that was so off putting about the poem initially became my favorite thing. When I’m having a bad day, it is great fun to recite this poem dramatically, ideally at top volume. Although in the fell clutch of that circumstance, I actually did do a lot of complaining, which was not really wincing or crying aloud, but still probably not true to the stoic nature of the poem.
Invictus went quickly into my brain which gave me time to put to memory another poem that comes in handy:
How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes
Shel Silverstein
If you have to dry the dishes
(Such an awful boring chore)
If you have to dry the dishes
(‘Stead of going to the store)
If you have to dry the dishes
And you drop one on the floor
Maybe they won’t let you
Dry the dishes anymore
Let me just say that in my position as Administrative Coordinator (which really just means school secretary) I find reason to recite this poem on a fairly regular basis.
A goodly number of books this month, helped along by the day in bed reading on 1/1/10. This was a good month for reading and I suspect many of these books will appear at the end of 2010 book awards.
Read
Heart Sick
Chelsea Cain
“Gloriously Gruesome Suspense…” said the Staff Pick bookmark inserted in this book. Boy, does that hit the nail on the head. Still, I devoured it, gruesome though it was. How could I not? It’s written by the woman I think of as my “older sister” (a theoretical relationship similar to the one I have with my “movie boyfriend” Edward Norton) and the book is set firmly in actual, recognizable Portland.
The serial killer/murder mystery is not really my genre (aside from the book couple–Kenzie/Gennaro–I want to marry) and I suspect this story might be a tiny bit predictable. I had to skip entire pages of text because I don’t do torture. Still, aside from those things, how could I not love a book set in my born-again home town, with a main character subletting a condo not far from where I work and dialogue such as this:
“Archie will explain. He’s downstairs in the car. I couldn’t find a fucking place to park. Your neighborhood is awash with ambling Yuppies.”
Can I really refer to a gruesome, disturbing book as delightful? With my soft spot for Chelsea Cain, indeed I can.
Laura Ingalls Wilder: A writer’s life
Pamela Smith Hall
I undoubtedly know about this book because the author is a Portlander, but I would have found it anyway. I tend to read everything I come across that has to do with Wilder.
This was a very readable, accessible book that traces Wilder’s journey as a writer and seems specifically to have been written to discount the theories that some authors have put forth that Wilder’s daughter Rose Wilder Lane wrote the Little House Series.
I had discounted those theories already as they seemed to overlook the writing career Wilder had before she began her famous series. The book follows Wilder’s life chronologically, and, in her early years, compares and contrasts Wilder’s unpublished autobiographical manuscript Pioneer Girl with details in the Little House series. This in itself was interesting.
A teacher at my school was annoyed at her student teacher for labeling the Little House series as fiction. “They are autobiography!” she firmly stated. I kept quiet, and wondered just how they are shelved at the official library. I have read enough to know that her books are not the whole truth of her life. Hill does an excellent job of highlighting the changes Wilder made to her own story to establish the mythos of her family–her experiences, heightened by her story telling and shaped by her and her daughter’s editing, have become the pioneer experience for millions of people across the world.
The other point gleaned from this book is to have a tough hide if your own daughter is your editor. Wilder and Lane were close, but Lane rejected the life her mother chose–leaving it as soon as she could. Hill provides evidence, again and again, of a mother daughter relationship probably familiar to many. It is a relationship both close and strained, and Lane comes across as a ruthless editor, unsparing of her mother’s feelings.
Still, the two remained close throughout their lives and their work together provided a series that has probably done more than any other to shape my world view. The book provides a nice bibliography for me to plunder, and has me wondering why, aside from the unspeakable television series, the story of the Ingalls family has never been adapted for the silver screen. Also, is there a good biography of Rose Wilder Lane?
The Dawn of a To-Morrow
Francis Hodgson Burnett
I came across this book while moodily wandering the stacks and checked it out partially because I’d never read any adult fiction by Burnett, but primarily because it was incredibly short and I figured I could handle it.
Had I not started reading it at 1:23 am, I probably could have finished this in one sitting. This strikes me as something that originally was serialized in a magazine at the turn of the century. Unlike most books written before 1950 and written in dialect, this was an incredibly easy read.
People familiar with the Annotated Secret Garden will recognize Burnett’s life philosophy in this book. People familiar with Wayne Dyer’s beliefs will not find Burnett’s views much different than his.
Overall, a sweet story, and a nice way to begin the new year.
The Last Summer (of you and me)
Ann Brashares
I picked this book up at the library off a display featuring “Bildungsromans” which, a helpful sign explained to me was: “a novel about the early years of somebody’s life, exploring the development of his or her character and personality.” God, I love librarians. Who knew that my favorite type of book actually had a name? And such a fun one.
I was also interested in seeing how Brashares fared writing adult fiction. Sometimes the transition between Young Adult and Adult Fiction *ahem, Judy Blume, ahem* can be a rocky one. Her “Traveling Pants” were fabulous, could she maintain her winning streak in the harsh world of adult fiction?
I loved this book. Every once in awhile I come across a book where the author writes–so much better than I ever could–the feelings I have. This was one of those novels. I’ve been thinking of first loves now and again lately, and how heart breaking they always are. Even if they end in the best possible way, doesn’t every one look back at them with a sense of sadness? I think Curtis Sittenfeld hit the nail on the head in Amercian Wife when she wrote: “..her tone was reflective in that way that is inevitably sad, because the past is part sad.”
So this story of three people merging their past with their present was wonderful to submerge myself in. The tension, ache and slowly building tragedy were delightful. I saw what was going to happen and how it would end, and I didn’t care. It was the journey I enjoyed the most. What a beautiful way to spend a cold and rainy day. This is why I am a reader.
Started, but did not finish
Sexing the Cherry
Jeanette Winterson
A clerk at Krakow, a coffee shop, recommended this book to me. I liked the title, but that was a about it. I get what the author was doing, I just couldn’t stay focused on the story because of it.
Convictions
John Kroger
I expected to begin this book and then drift away from it early on and eventually take it back to the library. This is what happened, but not for the reasons I thought. This book is great! It is witty and interesting and easy to read, and a fascinating look at an area of law most of us non-lawyers probably barely think about. I highly recommend it. It is also a very long book and Kroger won an Oregon book award this year so people at the library requested it before I could finish it. I would like to someday, though. And you should read it too.
Wow! This movie was so good, I’m compelled to write a one word sentence. The acting by all players was fantastic and I always love to see Emma Thompson.
This was a funny movie, in that dry way that Woody Allen is famous for. The storyline was not the most original, but the humor kept the movie moving right along. Matt, in particular, giggled through the whole thing.
“People ask, is there one word that you have more faith in than any other word, and I’d say it’s participation. I feel that this takes on so many meanings. The composer John Philip Sousa said, ‘What will happen to the American voice now that the phonograph has been invented? Women used to sing lullabies to their children.’ It’s been my lifework, to get participation, whether it’s a union song, or a peace song, civil rights, or a women’s movement, or gay liberation. When you sing, you feel a kind of strength; you think, I’m not alone, there’s a whole batch of us who feel this way. I’m just one person, but it’s almost my religion now to persuade people that even if it’s only you and three others, do something. You and one other, do something. If it’s only you, and you do a good job as a songwriter, people will sing it.”
From The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait of Pete Seeger By Alec Wilkinson.
Okay, we’re in the home stretch. If you missed the first 40, you can click on the top 49 movies link. The final nine movies of the last five years:
6/22/09
Up. Though its short title causes confusion when writing notes on a message board (I saw Up! You saw what up? No UP! University of Portland? NO the MOVIE UP! What movie? Arrrrrgh!) this is one of the best movies I saw in 2009–animated or not. And 2009 was a good year for watching good movies. 13 of my list were viewed that year. The montage scene will set the montage standard for years to come. Perfect.
7/2/09
Away We Go. I loved this so much I saw it three times in the theater, which, given my cheap-er-I-mean-frugal nature, is saying something. I enjoyed the humor, the main male lead reminded me of someone I live with and also: Melanie Lynskey, fabulous as usual. In fact, this movie was packed with great scenes and actors.
7/20/09
Across the Universe. A story based on Beatles songs? It could have gone so wrong. Instead, it went so right I immediately watched everything by the director (except Titus–I only made it halfway through that movie–the images were visually striking, but way too disturbing.) Incredibly fun and gripping and yes, pretty. Have you not seen it? Get going!
7/30/09
Moon. A brilliant movie and one that had me reserving every movie with Sam Rockwell in it the library carries. Puzzling, suspenseful and intellectually horrifying, you best be watching this movie. Also, Kevin Spacey works well as a disembodied voice of a computer. Perhaps he should just do that for awhile.
10/10/09
500 Days of Summer. A romantic comedy that boys will actively like and not grumble through. Funny and very well done.
10/31/09
Carrie. This movie is on this list because I thought I would hate it. I don’t like scary movies, I’m not a Sissy Spacek fan and I’d read the book. But from the first scene, the cinematography was beautiful, something I wasn’t expecting. Some of the acting is bad, but the movie itself is very nice to look at. Well done.
11/15/09
Whip It. What I am looking for from Hollywood: Spunky protagonist wants something (not a boy) and does what she can to get it, confronting funny and moral dilemmas along the way. Is this so much to ask? Apparently so, as I rarely see movies like this. Excellent viewing for teenage girls and there should be about four more a year like it.
12/5/09
The Informant! Funny. Great voice overs and (yes!) Melanie Lynskey. The fact it is based on a true story makes it even better.
12/27/09
Lars and the Real Girl. Every cast member is fabulous in this movie which you might, like me, not watch because of uncomfortable feelings about the subject matter, but which you should just get over it and press play. Delightful!
So ends our list.
The stats:
2005–4 top movies
2006–6 top movies
2007–8 top movies
2008–18 top movies
2009–13 top movies
Onward through the best movies I watched in five years of time. Read the other parts, if you haven’t already, by clicking top 49.
10/18/8
The Band’s Visit. What people talk about when they talk about good foreign films. Worth seeking out.
11/10/08
Tell No One. There’s a reason why it was on Levy’s High Five for months on end. French people like U2 too!
11/29/08
Rachael Getting Married. A meander of a movie–long, and kind of like being invited to a wedding weekend, but in a good way. Back in the days of the Princess Diaries, who knew Anne Hathaway would have such staying power?
12/5/08
Mala Noche. I heard about this Gus Van Sant debut feature for years before Criterion re-released it as part of the Criterion Collection. Seeing it, I finally finished my “watch every Gus Van Sant project” and also was amazed at how good it was.
12/28/08
Tully. I watched a lot of excellent films over the 2008 Winter Break and this was the best one. I’m guessing you haven’t seen it, but you should remedy that very soon.
12/29/08
City of Ember. A rollicking tale of adventure for the whole family. Then your family can read the whole series together, skipping the weird present day book that is horribly written.
1/1/09
Akeelah and the Bee. Yep, there was a lot of talk about how excellent this movie was, and I couldn’t bring myself to watch it. But then I did watch it and the talk was right and I was silly for putting off the watching for so long.
2/6/09
Sunset Boulevard. A classic. And not one of those you-should-see-it-because-every-else-has-and-it-is-referred-to-often-though-ultimately-it-is-boring-to-watch classic. It’s actually a very exiting movie.
4/17/09
Adventureland. I was surprised at how good this coming-of-age film was. It captured a lot of things that were true for me of my early post-college years.
5/16/09
Star Trek. So. Much. Fun. Before it ended, I was plotting when I would see it again. That’s a very good sign.
Continuing on with our list. To see all five posts, click on “top 49.”
2/8/08
Junebug. If you like Amy Adams, this is a film for you.
2/29/08
No Country For Old Men. Engrossing not-funny Cohen Brothers. Beautifully filmed.
3/8/08
Persepolis. You may think you don’t want to see an animated film with a female protagonist set during the Iran-Iraq war. You would be wrong.
3/26/08
Enchanted. “Why do we own Enchanted?” our friend Laurie asked her husband Burt. Burt kind of looked at her.
“I bet he has a thing for Amy Adams” I suggested. His face scrunched up in a way that indicated he did have a thing for Amy Adams. I told him I did too. Forget McDreamy, Amy Adams is dreamy.
5/3/08
Iron Man. Much like I will watch anything Aaron Sorkin writes, I will watch anything Robert Downey Jr. is in. When it is this good, I’m delighted.
5/9/08
Gone Baby, Gone. So good I watched it twice in one weekend and showed a deleted scene to Matt. I later found out this was based on a series of books about Boston P.I. I devoured that series over the following summer. Now I’ve got Matt reading them too.
5/9/10
Once. Utterly charming.
5/17/08
All the Real Girls. Wonderful performances, and a secondary character (Bust-Ass) who steals every scene he is in. This movie was my happy introduction to Danny McBride and Paul Schneider and furthered my love of Joan Allen and Zooey Deschanel.
7/10/08
21. A perfect Hollywood caper movie with the bonus of nerd power. Very fun.
8/30/08
Tropic Thunder. This movie was a wonderful way to end the summer. I read the press, and I was prepared to not liked it THAT much. But I laughed and laughed and laughed.
Continuing with the list. To see all five posts, click on “top 49.”
1/1/07
13 Going on 30. I saw this at home, having dismissed it as not theater worthy. But it turned out the main character and I were the same age, which added an emotional resonance to the movie hadn’t anticipated. Plus, the Thriller Dance. This would be a scene that would partially inspire the TSDP a few years later.
2/13/07
The Departed. Did I breathe at all during this movie? I don’t think so. Gripping! Incredibly bloody! Boston accents!
4/28/07
Galaxy Quest. I refused to watch this movie for a long time, due to Tim Allen starring in it, but Matt brought it home for some reason and I laughed so hard we had to pause the movie so I could catch my breath. Plus, Enrico Colantoni! Such fun.
6/16/10
Breach. “Some of these movies I can’t remember” I said to Matt as I was going through the list. “Like, what the heck is Breach?”
“That was a really good movie!” Matt exclaimed. “It was that FBI one.”
“Oh yeah,” I said, remembering. “that was really good!” and onto my list it went.
It’s got a forgettable title, but it’s a great drama and based on a true story. I also heard the interview with the real Eric O’Neill on Fresh Air, and that was very interesting too.
9/19/07
The Company. Another title so forgettable I had to remind myself what the movie was. But a quite good Robert Altman movie about ballet. Plus! James Franco as a mostly-silent chef/boyfriend.
9/22/07
Superbad. You either like this kind of movie, which means you have already seen it. Or you don’t which means you haven’t and you won’t. Judd Apatow does male friendship so well. That last scene really kills me.
10/6/7
The Lives of Others. Here is Florian Henckel von Donnorsmark’s fabulous film. Incredibly moving. Don’t delay, see this today.
12/20/07
Juno. I still think it’s over-written as in, no one talks like that. But even with that (I pick over-writing over under-writing any day) this is a perfect movie about which my friend correctly say, “Everyone does the right thing, even though it is hard.” Aside from that, it’s hilarious.
1/13/08
Atonement. I came out of this movie thinking, “that was okay” and dismissed it as just that. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it for three days and upgraded it to a Very Good Movie. Does anyone not love James McAvoy after this movie?
2/1/08
Charlie Wilson’s War. Aaron Sorkin, I’ll watch anything you write. And it will most likely be very, very good.
