Halloween 1998 passes with relative ease, fairly simple yet imaginative costumes (Tolkienesque "black rider" and Victorian-era ghost girl) happily ruling the day. YD, meanwhile, delights in success at collecting for UNICEF, excitedly tallying the number of polio vaccines the contributions she's collected will purchase. Hold onto that humanitarianism, dear, we're all going to need it.
Oct. 30
I've decided I truly do not like these new vans with the built-in video entertainment systems. Yes, kids, forget about the purple mountains, fruited plains and amber waves of grain outside the window; forget about reading or having a conversation -- here's an Olsen Twins video to keep you amused.
Oct. 29
Fascinating albeit troubling scenario unfolding in South Africa with release of Truth Commission findings, which indict apartheidists and rebels alike. Classic dilemma of investing a body with legal, but not moral authority.
Oct. 28
*Happy rocket trails to John Glenn and all, but I can't help wonder if he's going to wear on the rest of his crew by insisting on taking the helm, continually reminiscing about NASA in the "good old days" and how "you couldn't swing a cat in Friendship 7" -- bet he doesn't let them play the "Big Chill" soundtrack in the Discovery's stereo system, either.
*Viewing: "My Own Private Idaho" -- an interesting, if flawed intersection between "Drugstore Cowboy" and "Good Will Hunting." A little too anarchistic than it really needed to be, frankly.
Oct. 24
Viewing: "Ethan Frome" -- not a film to watch in the dead of winter, certainly; such a cheery little Calvinist tale. But Liam Neeson's dead-on as usual, and Joan Allen is disconcertingly believable. Patricia Arquette, alas, can use some help with the rural northern New England accent.
Oct. 23
Gotta be a film in here somewhere: Long Island racehorse Zippy Chippy is one loss away from setting the greatest streak of futility (86) in American thoroughbred history. Racetracks don't want him. His jockey won't ride him anymore, complaining ZC makes him "look bad." But his owner won't stop trying to land him a spot on a racing form, somewhere.
Oct. 22
*Unnerving but chutzpah-drenched trial of Chad Austin concludes. He took a man and two boys hostage -- and was caught on camera doing so -- while in flight from police pursuing him from a bank robbery, but conducted his own defense and managed to get the jury to deliberate six days before finding him guilty. The name "Rupert Pupkin" somehow suggests itself here.
*Viewing: "Kids" -- well, certainly not the most pleasant or comforting film experience. But the the "girl-talk/boy-talk" juxtaposition early in the film was by turns amusing, poignant and repulsive, and the denouement of Jenny's search for Telly could fuel a good discussion in more than a few high school classrooms, if done right.
Oct. 17-18
Sigh. Absolutely beautiful weekend, most of which OD seemed content to piddle away by dawdling, or arguing over, homework. But pumpkin expedition to Lincoln proves successful and economical. Also, had chance for a couple of viewings:
*"Clueless" -- Not that old, yet somehow seems already very passe. But at least Dan Hedaya had the opportunity to look relatively well-groomed this time out.
*"The X-Files" -- Odd variation "Sleeping Beauty" in Antarctica sequence, i.e., hero storms the castle in which the heroine sleeps, due to supernatural forces, whom he awakens with a kiss. Literary references aside, not sure why this story, as structured, merited big-screen treatment (other than profanities).
Oct. 16
First official dance-out of morris season for Middlesex along with MOTley and Lemon and Capers, in Davis Square, which is fixed firmly atop my list of places impossible to navigate without high degree of stress.
Oct. 15
Caught about 45 minutes of Seamus Heaney's appearance at BC. As I listened, possibly provocative (but not particularly original) premise for discussion emerged: At what point does poetry become prose? Or verbalized reflection? Anyway, at reception following, Seamus said kind words about Dad. Truly, a Nobel Laureate and a gentleman.
Columbus Day Weekend
*Sodden Girl Scouts Dads 'n Daughters Weekend in Sunapee with YD nonetheless a happy occasion, highlighted by our universally well-received comic turn in the talent show. No shrinking violets, we.
*Middle school Friday dance party elicits rocket-speed enthusiastic gossip from OD: Sixth-grade girls and boys, slow dancing! Ex-paramours in public tiff! As far as reliability of these reports, she asserts, "I'm a primary source, Dad" -- a usage of which her social studies teacher might well be proud.
Oct. 10
Dad. He would've been 68 today.
*This week, news came that Soapbox Derby creator Myron Scott died, and that the Welcome Wagon will more or less cease to exist by the end of the year. Despite never having had any encounters with either of these institutions, their passing seems worth a note. Done.
*The NY Times reports that scientists are intrigued by the recent 200-mile sea journey of a small herd(?) of iguanas in the Caribbean, apparently on a tangle of fallen trees. Disney animators, ho!
Oct. 3-4
*Picture-perfect New England autumn weekend includes Red Sox debacle which, somehow, few -- those not in the grip of gonfallon fever -- seemed to expect would happen.
*Ross Perot suggests Clinton's a druggie! Publisher offers $1 million reward for ex-congressional concubines! Thank goodness our media are overlooking the really depressing stuff from Kosovo and Aghanistan.
*Book completed: "Making History," by Stephen Fry. If ever a book served as an inkblot for the author, this is it. Comedy and Drama straddling History, Philosophy and Science, and building to Sexual Self-Discovery. In any case, a fine model for nonfiction-based fiction.
*Recent musical acquisitions:
=="Ride," by Oyster Band -- everything you'd expect and want from an OB release. "New York Girls" has the cheek and drive; "Love Vigilantes" is tender, yet avoids tedium (and contains a nifty melodeon riff); and "Too Late Now" is the band's classic thumb-your-nose rallying cry.
=="Shadow Man," by Johnny Clegg -- by most signposts, this was Clegg's international "break-out" album, and no wonder: full of the spirituality, anger, love, hope and social concerns that make "Heat, Dust and Dreams" enjoyable. Here's hoping he finds a place in the new South Africa.
=="Trick or Treat," by Paul Brady -- somehow, I expected something a little more here. Ultimately, as a performer you're judged in relation to your past works, and when you have Irish traditional music and renderings of the works of Sean O'Casey on your resume, well, I don't know...the lyrics you compose face some pretty tough comparisons. Can't deny the passion and sincerity, though, especially in "Solid Love."
=="Rainbow," by Celtic Folk -- a bit too much production and airy flutes here, and little variation in the tempo. Good for next-day recovery from late-night seisuns, though.
Oct. 1
Why we shouldn't pay attention to the local media during the Red Sox postseason: Tuesday, the Sox win Game 1, and broadcasters and columnists trumpet the end of the infamous 13-game postseason losing streak, call out for the Yankees, and aver that this team doesn't appear to be fazed by the disasters of yesteryear. Wednesday, Cleveland serves notice that it's a pretty good collection of ballplayers, and a newsdroid on one local channel tops off the evening's newscast with, "Is the Curse of the Bambino striking back?"
Sept. 30
Viewing: "The Waterdance" -- of a kind with the "Cuckoo's Nest-Rose Garden-Awakenings" genre, casting a spotlight on the community of the infirm ("gimps" as they call themselves here). Good use of notable supporting cast, especially Wesley Snipes -- his "sex therapy" seminar scene was priceless -- Grace Zabriskie and Elizabeth Pena. And am I being shallow when I say that Helen Hunt looks lovely with no clothes on?
Sept. 29
A promising trend? OD not only is deigning to listen to an "oldies" station, she's singing along with a fair amount of the material.
Sept. 26-27
Off to Camp Menotomy in NH with OD for Girl Scouts "Dads n' Daughters Weekend" no. 1. We acquit ourselves well in the talent show and a night-time version of "Predators and Prey," which is quite a visceral experience when conducted with flashlights and unfamiliar terrain. Let's remember these days in a few years time, my girl, when hormones and rebelliousness threaten to build walls between us.
Sept. 23
Much to our surprise, OD has declared her intent to run for the Student Senate, and put together a competent campaign speech. Finally, a political forum free from attack ads, speculation about personal lives, and PAC donations.
Sept. 21
Oh dear. Thanks to dear ole Dad's nocturnal clumsiness, YD at last discovered The Truth About The Tooth Fairy, to her considerable chagrin. Attempting to come to terms with this, she said "I'm not sure about Santa Claus now -- but I'm not ready to talk about it yet." No problem, love.
Sept. 20
Completing a relaxing, if nondescript weekend, a Viewing: "Being Human" -- or, to put it far more flippantly than deserved, "Blackadder Goes To Philosophy Class." You can't help experience anticipation when Robin Williams is in his more restrained, sober persona; you keep waiting for him to "snap out of it" and push with all his might against that proverbial envelope. Doesn't happen here, which is a good thing. Inventive use of some common threads between the five stories, e.g., chickens, crossing water, and a solitary old man.
Sept. 17
*As modestly attended but enjoyable school year kick-off get-together concludes in pre-autumnal darkness, a fellow parent comments: "Remember when we all used to go out -- y'know, to parties, and to restaurants and bars? And what a big deal it was to be there right to the very end, when the sun was practically coming up? Well, guess what -- we closed this school picnic down!"
*Viewing: "Before Sunrise" -- wanted to really like this _a lot_, but something stopped me just short. Not sure why. It's sweet-natured and unassuming, and some lovely little scenes: The quick cuts among the patrons in the cafe, leading to the lovers' phone-calls-to-friends routine, for instance. Maybe it was Ethan Hawke...and then again, perhaps that reservation may be stemming from some vaguely defined jealousy because he gets to have Julie Delpy look at him (and vice-versa). Aw heck, it's just fine. Really.
*Happily, local UHF station is now running "Frasier" at 11 p.m., enabling one to hear the paradigmatic Niles Crane line: "This is what men do, isn't it, Dad?"
Sept. 16
NY Times reports that Italians are up in arms over a strike which has idled the film and TV dubbing industry, meaning that for now their imported soap operas and action movies are in English with subtitles. So why not send all the work over to Japan for now?
Sept. 15
Book completed: "The Life of Insects," by Victor Pelevin. Bizarre but fun. The concept of a person assuming insect characteristics (and vice-versa) is, I suspect, a deliciously troubling one for most folks; it's not like taking on the qualities of a lion or a gazelle, after all. Pelevin's political and social satire is rather easier to take than the philosophical bits.
Sept. 13
*Book completed: "Even the Women Must Fight: Memories of War from North Vietnam," by Karent Gottschang Turner with Phan Thanh Hao. The stories themselves (of North Vietnamese girls and women in the war) would be good reading, but Turner wisely provides a wider context, showing how Vietnamese popular culture, the media in particular, has dealt with -- or not, as the case may be -- the issues and legacies.
*Coincidences too good to be true: In the Sunday Globe, rife with articles and analyses regarding ClintonLewinsky, the book section leads with a review of the novel "Tom Cat in Love."
Sept. 12
*Excursion to BC's victory over Rutgers with OD, on day more suited to a Red Sox game [see Aug. 29].
*Just for laughs, I've been experimenting with setting Dougie McLean's "Broken Wings" to reggae beat. Somehow, I think it might work better with a Stratocaster, plus a pulsing Fender bassline and a good tom-tom or two behind me.
Sept. 11
Long-delayed office party eventually turns into gawkfest at on-line Starr report. Thought occurs: Could this be the next stage of evolution in those shared mass-media generational experiences, a la the 1948 election, JFK assassination, the moonwalk and Challenger explosion? Perhaps, but the subject matter at hand is hardly the stuff of supreme triumph or great tragedy -- just small, sad and rather pathetic.
