SHORT SUBJECTS

Friday, May 29, 1998

Reader Ed Heron, from Australia, was the first to wish me a happy birthday. Because he writes me from Australia, he was across the date line and it actually was my birthday (May 30) where he was.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *    *

I hadn't heard from X--- for more than a week and I haven't seen him in a month. His company is shipping a product, so he's been swamped with work. So I was pleased today to get some email from him. I send him URLs when I see something on the web that might be useful to him, as I do for many people, and I've been keeping him up to date on what I've been up to -- I don't think he reads this journal regularly -- so it was good to hear that he appreciates what I write him. To write without getting some response is no fun!

*     *     *     *     *     *     *    *

The diary-crit-l list is being revived, and I'm scheduled to be one of the first journals critiqued. This is because I was in process of being critiqued last fall when the list imploded, so I only got a few writeups at that time. What I'm writing now (movie reviews every day) isn't really typical for me, though my friend Jon Newman said I review my life as well as the movies. So I'll suggest that the list members might want to sample other months, as well as reading the past few weeks.

Another journal-related matter: it's time to pick the journal entry for May that I want to submit to the Journal Collection. Any favorites for this month?

*     *     *     *     *     *     *    *

I saw my dance buddy Dan Osborn at both theaters tonight. We compared notes in the lobby of the Harvard exit before the first show, then I sat with him and his mother at the second show in the Broadway Performance Hall.

Idiot's Delight
A compilation of short subjects. In a grab bag like this, there are always some that are great, some mediocre, and some terrible. In this case, the funniest was "Foto Fandango," which had the director and star present to take questions afterwards. I also liked an Australian modern dance piece, "The Changing Room." But a piece like "One Hand, Left" was just one joke that went on entirely too long!

Adam & Eva
A pleasant relationship comedy from Sweden. It could have been shorter! A couple "meet cute," then it's four years later and the husband is bored. I liked Bjorn Kjellman as the husband! He was a new face to me.

I was supposed to meet A--- at the Egyptian for the 9:30 show. But on the way into the theater, I first visited the bathroom, and then bought a soda. He must have thought that I had bailed when he didn't see me arrive with the rest of the passholder line, and he bailed out himself! I hadn't been feeling that great myself, but I wanted to figure out with him what we were seeing tomorrow! Oh, well, we will cross paths, I'm sure. I got lucky and the bus arrived in about one minute, so I was home early tonight.