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The call of death is a call of love. Death can be sweet if we answer it in the affirmative, if we accept it as one of the great eternal forms of life and transformation. |
Friday, June 5, 1998
One year ago: Relentless Survivors
Today was the last day for a co-worker, Akila. She's having a baby. I'll miss her! She has been a bay-mate for more than a year. She's an Indian woman, quiet, with an astringent sense of humor.
Because Wally hadn't updated for a few days (though he has a new one tonight) I was rereading his stuff from June 1997. He has been a consistently funny writer for a long time. I loved his concept of the proper way to sneak beer into the movies. I won't put it in practice, though, since alcohol makes me sneeze!
We chatted on the phone (I talk to Wally on the phone more than any other person I know!) about some job search problems he is having (he'll probably write about that), then I gave him a suggestion for his participation in the Fremont Solstice Parade. He had a concept for an espresso stand on a float that just isn't going to happen this year, due to the parade rules and technical needs of the concept. So I suggested that he revive the In-Santa-cide concept, and ask the Cacophonistas to participate with him! We don't have a plan yet for what we are doing in the parade; Wally and I already have our costumes; it's a good crowd-pleasing thing to do!
I saw dance buddy Dan Osborn at the Egyptian theater and sat with him for the first show. He has his laptop with him and reviews the movies he sees directly afterwards. I'd like to do that next year! We chatted about his upcoming trip to the Catalina Swing Camp next weekend. After the movie, he was off to a gettogether of most of the Seattle people who will be there. Fifty folks are going from Seattle! I'm envious, but at this point I wouldn't want to give up the festival for so many days. Next year, who knows?
Relax...It's just Sex
A pleasant comedy with some dramatic moments. Lots of fairly explicit sex scenes, so the writer/director P.J. Castellaneta said it would definitely get an NC-17 rating. Apparently anal sex on screen is still taboo. This story about a group of 30-somethings and their romantic entanglements was fun! There were also some violent scenes of gay-bashing, and revenge on the gay bashers, intense enough that I covered my eyes. A very good cast!
Under Heaven
This is a brilliant first feature written and directed by Meg Richman. It's based on the Henry James novel The Wings of the Dove, put into a modern setting. It was filmed in Seattle, but only local folks would recognize the locations. I really liked this movie! The cast was excellent, and the ending had more of a redeeming quality (though not softened) instead of the extra-grim scenes at the end of the recent straight adaptation starring Helena Bonham Carter.
The death scene in the movie reminded me strongly of my mother's death. She also died of cancer, and we cared for her at home. When someone is mostly dying of dehydration and lung problems, it's a very gradual process. We were at her bedside holding her hand for a long time, talking to her and telling her it was OK to go, that we loved her. It was hard to tell the exact moment when she took her last breath. My experiences as her caregiver are the reason why I relate strongly to stories about illness, or AIDS, or dying, but also why I don't often choose to watch such stories. I've been through it! So I either am affected more intensely than I want to be, or I'm bored because I've been there, done that. But this movie resonated with me in a good way.
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