A Baseball Movie

Usually,  Gerry and I do not love the same kinds of movies.  Therefore, if we go to the movies, which is rarely, we 'take turns',  an action movie for him, a chick flick for me.

But there is a new movie out right now that I thought just might work for both of us.  First and foremost,  it is a baseball movie,  but the tough old baseball guy (Clint Eastwood) also has a young beautiful daughter,  and the previews suggested a bit of romance for her in The Trouble With the Curve.

I'd have to say that it is a movie with several different layers, and several story lines to follow. The primary one is about the old baseball scout (Eastwood) and his problems with aging.  The young daughter (Amy Adams) is trying to become a partner in her law firm.  Friend of father calls daughter and convinces her to come and check on her Dad, who seems to have problems, namely that he can barely see, so it is difficult for him to really do his scouting job.  The father daughter duo spend several days together following games in North Carolina.

There's plenty of baseball stats and lingo and competition to satisfy the action-oriented husband.  There's a great deal of emotional material to satisfy the human-relation-oriented wife.

When we were commenting on the movie this morning,  husband mentioned how good it was that at the end of the movie there was redemption for the old man.  I agreed.  

Only later did I understand that we had a different perception about that redemption.  For said husband,  the old man proved his abilities at scouting, and turned out to be right.  The newer guys use computers and statistics  and databases to make the determination about who to hire.  The old guy still used his old-fashioned skills of seeing, hearing, listening, understanding.   Therein was his redemption.

The father-daughter relationship had always been rocky, as baseball scout father raised her alone, having lost his wife when she was six.  He did what he could to try to protect her (shipped her away).  She felt rejected instead.  At the end of the movie,  that impossible relationship underwent a transformation, as each one came to better understand the other.  And therein was the redemption.

So, not only do we like different kinds of movies,  but when we both see the same movie,  we have a different experience and interpretation.

Why does that not surprise me?

Rainbow Colors

I happened to notice out the living room windows that it was raining slightly,  but the sun was also shining.  That is typically a sign of a rainbow.   Not really expecting to find anything,  I opened the front door and saw the most vividly colored rainbow I think I have ever seen.  All the colors were pure and bright.

I'll take it as a sign of good things to come.

BLT

Yesterday, I harvested a couple of baskets of ripe tomatoes.  Some are peeled and frozen.   I've had many tomato creations, but no BLT's.

Yesterday when I went grocery shopping I bought bacon specifically to make myself a BLT for lunch today.

So I sliced my tomato, got out my bread rounds, and cooked the bacon in the microwave oven.

While the bacon was cooking, I decided that the tomatoes needed some salt and pepper.  I was closer to the spice roll around cabinet than I was to the table, where one can also find salt and pepper.  Instead, I reached into the spice cabinet and first poured on some salt.   After that, I reached for the pepper and added that.

Soon the bacon was done and I put that on top of the tomatoes.  I took a bite.  I have never tasted such an awful BLT in my whole life!  It was truly terrible.

I thought there was a taste in there that was vaguely familiar.  I opened it and smelled.   I had mistaken the pepper for the Allspice.   Their can shapes and colors are similar.   Obviously, I did not look carefully at the box, which is not at eye level.

If you ever want to completely spoil a BLT, that's a sure way to do it.  Yuk!

Two Anniversaries, Same Date

On this day thirty years ago, Gerry and I got married.   September 11, 1982.   It was a very monumental day in our lives,  the beginning of a 'new world' for us.  That anniversary came first.

On this day eleven years ago,  the world also changed with the September 11, 2001 attacks.   I remember that day vividly, of course, as most Americans do.  The question we ask ourselves, or one another:  Where were you on September 11th?

What I remember most is how the mind could not really process the images and what those meant.   Eventually, over the course of the next few days and weeks,  we began to hear the stories and could see what it meant to thousands of loved ones who had lost their beloved on that awful day.   We began to learn the source of the attack, and who was responsible.

A movie that I saw this year, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,  brought home in a new way, the emotional aftermath, by focusing on the story of one boy who lost his father.   I could feel the torment in my heart, like never before.

But it took years for it to unfold what that day would mean to our nation and how our country would change.  That involved liberties lost,  several wars,  tens of thousands more deaths.   It meant torture was sanctioned as a means for security.   It meant that national security was elevated beyond personal freedom. Phones could be tapped and library cards reviewed.    I could not begin to enumerate all the changes--political, social, cultural, worldwide--that have resulted from that one event.

The term '911' has become an abbreviated reminder of what happened, and how we have changed as a result of it.

The earlier anniversary, (our marriage)  has always been for us a reason to rejoice and celebrate. The changes brought by that event were monumental. They impacted us as individuals, as a couple, as a family.    I sometimes think that the marriage was as great a personal blessing for us, as the second anniversary was a  tragedy for our nation.   Both created a new way of being,   for better [1982], and for worse [2001].

I do know with certainty that I would not be the person I am today, had not our 1982 event occurred.

This is a day both of sorrow and of joy.

Anniversary Celebration

We just enjoyed a wonderful thirtieth anniversary celebration, gathering together many family and friends for a lovely evening.    There is no greater joy an being surrounded by those you love!

Six of the seven children were present.  Most of the grandchildren, and the two great-grandchildren were also there.  People traveled from Vermont (Gerry's daughter and her family),  and from Long Island  (V&M and Matt's parents also came).   One of the grand-children came from Watertown/Fort Drum area.

  There were old friends from the Cornell community,  and new friends from Cortland.   Also, there were tables of friends from Moravia and Fayetteville.

I think the food was good and enjoyed by the guests.  Daughter Vic had put together a wonderful slide show showing family photos Through the Years.   Friends of ours provided wonderful entertainment by singing the old Kenny Rogers song:  Through the Years.

This was the equivalent of our big Fiftieth Reunion, which we now won't have to worry about doing.  It does seem unlikely that we will both be around for that.

I'd call this event one of the Highlights of our Lives!   A big word of appreciation to all those who came, and to all those who helped make it possible.

At the end of the program, Gerry gave a beautiful tribute to me---some of the things that he loves about me.  It was so sweet.

Following those comments,  the evening ended with, surprisingly, of all things, a standing ovation!