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To Love Myself

An identity is questioned only when it is menaced, as when the mighty begin to fall, or when the wretched begin to rise, or when the stranger enters the gates, never, thereafter, to be a stranger.
-- James Baldwin

Sunday, June 1, 1997

Today was my turn to get in line early for the Secret Festival, so I managed to get down to the Egyptian Theater a little before 10 AM. I ended up before the dumpster, and not standing under the "Sword of Damocles" weight that is counterbalancing the fire escape. And what a charming alley it is! I passed the time listening to NPR and reading a book by Mary Balogh, an author I really like. I was joined by A--- and W--- around 11, and took the chance to run off to the QFC grocery store and buy some Cinnabon. What is the secret ingredient that makes those rolls so irresistable?

Secret Festival 3
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Then W-- offered to drive down to the Harvard Exit for the next show. Lucky she did, because some passholders were turned away, even though they arrived within the time parameters stated in the rules. We were up in the front row of the balcony, A---'s preferred seating at that theater, and C--- and D--- joined us. A fun group!

Sunday
An interesting drama starring David Suchet, of "Inspector Poirot" and Blot on the Landscape fame. He is a homeless executive, living in a church-run shelter, who is mistaken for a famous director by a British actress who has been living in Queens for some reason. Riveting performances, but the film left too many questions unanswered at the end for my taste. It may have been based on a play, judging by the number of scenes with just two charcters, and the tasty dialog.

Then dinner with A-- at Kitto's Noodle House on Broadway. Succulent grilled salmon to start, then Shrimp Donburi for me and Beef yakisoba for A---. His plate was huge! At first he was saying he'd have half of it for Monday lunch, but he steadily worked his way through it and managed to finish it.

Like Grains of Sand
Combination of Secrets and Lies and a Japanese ABC Afterschool Special. The Secrets and Lies part comes from the extremely long shots in the movie, minutes at a time. Unfortunately there are long pauses between lines, long silences with the characters standing and staring at each other. My finger was aching for the fast-forward button. A group of high-school students sort out their relationships and come to terms with their problems. This wasn't terrible, but you need a high tolerance for boredom.

The Watermelon Woman
Cheryl Dunye acted, wrote and directed a tale about Cheryl Dunye, black lesbian aspiring filmmaker, who is trying to make a documentary about "The Watermelon Woman," a mysterious (fictional) figure from the early days of movies. Some very funny scenes, but flawed by dropped plot threads involving a white girlfriend. Billed as having the "hottest lesbian sex scene" on the poster. Camille Paglia appears as herself.

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