esrosedotblog

FLAT LIINE IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE

Well, this chart bears it out.

I do not text. I don't want to be texted and I have no intention of ever texting.

And neither does my cohort. The "over 65" crowd.

I do not pay for text on my mobile phone service. I pay 25 cents for each text that I get and tell the texter to cut it out.

Currently, the only violator of this request is Barack Obama and his supporters and I am not willing to write and ask him to call instead.

Kevin Drum Chart of the Day: Texting

Labels: coming of age, internet

ANOTHER ROLE MODEL

They just opened a new edition of Gypsy on Broadway with great success.

Patty Lupone.

But the thing that caught my eye is that it was directed by Arthur Laurents who wrote the original libretto in 1959 and directed another revival in 1974, winning a Tony each time.

It would seem that he has a good chance of another Tony this year. It got a great NYTimes review.

The thing I noticed immediately is that Laurents is 90 years old!

He is not the first to do this trick.

The prolific director George Abbott worked into his 100th years.

Abbott was something special and so is Laurents who, I should point out, was openly gay before a lot of the rest of us were.

Never mind that he was in the theater. It is still difficult there. How many theater guys do you think are in the closet still today?

Think hundreds.

Anyway, I like to see this stuff.

I don't know why I set 90 as a goal.

I think that it is actually a bit modest. Many people live to 90 and beyond. I had three aunts who did it so the odds are genetically better for me.

Of course, if I don't make it I won't be disappointed. I won't know that I didn't make it, will I?

Labels: coming of age, life

DISORGANIZED LABOR

I approach Labor Day as one of those non-holiday type events that give the working man and woman a day off and me a day without postal service.

But I do have to admit to a history in the union movement.

When I was a kid, I worked for A&P and was therefore an involuntary member of the Retail Clerks International Union .

I never went to meetings. I never was in on any labor action.

I did pay dues and I did get a newsletter.

I remember that the company carried out a campaign of disinformation about the union. Principally, that it was affiliated with the Teamsters who were going through a period of negative publicity. Well, they have always been in that period.

This was not true however. No Teamsters.

Somehow, despite my inactivity, my affiliation stuck with me. I have always regarded myself as a union member even though I only paid dues for about two years.

I think that I recognized early on that A&P did not have my interests at heart but the Union did.

Years later, my Dad, who had been an A&P manager for 40 some years had a moment of clarity and told them to shove their manager job. He joined the Union and became a Union Steward!

Heresy!

They were his happiest years with the company.

More positive reinforcement.

This early experience influenced my politics life-long.

Sadly, I think that even the unions have forgotten the significance of the holiday.

I am in the memory chain that includes adults who had been exploited as child laborers.

I have been up close and personal with migrant workers in the south when I worked for another food chain. These were our underpaid factory workers.

I saw sweatshops even when I was living in Boston.

Unions are still an important force for social good.

The bush years and the plutocratic movement have seen to that.

Without a union, workers are basically fucked.

Yes, I know. Unions evolved into bloated, corrupt bureaucracies.

But the worm is turning.

We will see what we shall see.

Labels: coming of age, politics

GETTING A HEAD

I cut my long hair off today. Four years worth.

Well, I didn't do it.

I went to a barber that I used to attend. He didn't remember me but he is something of a jerk so I didn't take it personally.

He is a pretty good barber though. You just have to steer clear of the rapids when canoeing down his conversation flow.

Block that metaphor.

I ordered the traditional. Number two thing on the clipper, no taper, no ear lowering, natural at the back of the neck. No powder please. No mustache trim.

It looks good. I am used to it. It is my default haircut for my entire life.

I got my first buzz when I was a freshman in high school. It had started as a thing to do among the seriously hip (meaning the seniors and jocks).

I remember that my barber almost refused to do it. Called my mother. We told him we would go elsewhere. He did it.

When you go for something that strong, you stick with it.

I have had the long hair several times.

John has the pony tails. I saved mine from this time too.

I am happier without it. It is time for a change.

I was beginning to get all fussy about getting my hair wet in the pool. Just like my mother.

It was also getting long enough to come over my shoulder.

There is a serious line there that you need to cross. At a certain length we get to the doper/outcast/serious rebel look. Shit kicker. Trailer trash.

Now that is where I come from so it is not that big a stretch.

In the past I would have embraced it but at 70 I am going a bit soft on the rebel look.

And, I am tired of hairs in the sink and drains.

I cycle.

Everything has to change every three or four years.

I wonder what will be next.

Hair today. What tomorrow?

Labels: coming of age, culture, nostalgia

WAR HERO

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was John Huston's

The Red Badge of Courage (1951)

with the WWII hero Audie Murphy.

This was a troubled film (read the link) and it weighs in at only 65 minutes.

There are some incredible battle shots.

The cinematography is superb.

Murphy and all his platoon members are great. Many were stock characters in many films; Royal Dano, Andy Devine, Arthur Hunnicut, to name a few.

What I liked most about Murphy's portrayal is that he does not have an instant awakening. It is a slow process.

And even when he becomes a hero, he cannot fully admit his former weakness. Substituting bravado for candor he hedges his 'story' in his confession to his best friend.

This felt more true to me than a clean and glorious epiphany would.

I think this may account for the trouble that the film had when it was initially run.

The film is also hard to deal with because it places emphasis on military bravery as the avenue through which the hero achieves adulthood. This is not a popular theme these days and yet, it is a fact, young men are experiencing these same issues as I type.

Some, who do not experience war directly, go through other trials to achieve adulthood. Trials by fire of one kind or another; it is the same thing.

I did not have war. I am fortunate enough to have skated through one of the most peaceful periods of the last century. I faced the challenges of having a large family, working my way up and out in my jobs, starting a business, coming out.

We all have our red badges. Or don't.

It is particularly male, I think.

Murphy had an interesting life. Humble beginnings and great accomplishments.

He was the most decorated WWII veteran. His autobiography was a best seller.

He struggled to become an actor and eventually (with mixed feelings) starred in the film version of his own book.

It was incredibly popular.

His appearance in this film is surprisingly good. He has an intensity that cannot be 'acted'.

Murphy's buddy in the film is played by another icon of WWII, Bill Mauldin.

Mauldin created a cartoon version of the War that became an alternative chronicle of what it was like for the common soldier. He was only in his early 20's. He makes a pretty good actor in this film.

The key to both these guy's success in this film is their innate humility.

I will give this a 4 out of Netflix5. Maybe a 5. It sure got me thinking about rites of passage. Mine and others.

A long blog usually means a good movie experience.

Labels: best films, coming of age

GEEZERED

I don't think a lot about my 'later years'.

If I do, I think about maintaining my independence right to the end.

This article set me back a little.

Rethinking Old Age

Our Mom's died in nursing home rooms or the equivalent.

This ain't my idea of where I want to end up.

We have done a few things to head it off.

We both have long term care policies that would emphasize home care over some phony 'home'.

I would be determined to stay with my people and my stuff.

Of course, in life, we do not always have as many choices as we think we should have.

But I am sure going to do my best to avoid the kind of sad ending that is described in this article.

My fears are somewhat limited. A room mate that I never knew in my life could be a hell that would surpass all hells. I can't much stand to be with people my own age now.

Routines are OK but someone else's routine is another thing.

Bingo? Television?

Sorry.

Show me the plastic bag I can put over my head.

Labels: coming of age, geriatrics

PROTEIN ADDED

I am not ashamed to say that I had a long laugh at this.

Slap On Wrist For High School Jerk

Love the headline too.

It is funny.

What is funniest is the worry that anyone ingesting the addition would be sickened.

I don't mean psychologically. I mean physically.

Anything in there would be knocked out by the vinegar.

I would bet that at least half of the kids who had the mayo were not 'bodily fluid' virgins.

This kid is smart. You can see that he is also a smart ass. He has enough credits to get to college.

A lot of spare time.

I also like the kid's comfort with his own sexuality although it clearly made a lot of other people uncomfortable.

I used to work in a kitchen. These people don't know the half of pranks that have been perped on them.

They do not know 'sickening' until they assay the full range of adulterations that are made each day in the food of 'difficult' customers.

I have made this item 'coming of age' in the tabs.

Labels: coming of age

RELATIONSHIP

"Sorrow is joy grown old".

That line tells the story of today's film

Old Joy (2006)

Two friends reunite and try to find their past connection.

Both are lefties; one has the NPR/Volvo thing down, the other still searches for 'answers'.

The film is beautiful to watch.

The sounds are also very important. The sounds of silence.

Unusual for a contemporary film.

I have lived out this stretch between two men who have lost their way from each other.

It is painful to watch the tension as, at the same time, we learn how this is a normal process of life.

Coming and going.

There are a lot of nice underlying themes here. There is some homoerotic tension; the straight man's bugaboo.

There is the Freudian split; id and superego.

There is nature versus 'civilization'.

It is all done effortlessly and quietly in only 75 minutes or so.

I love short long films.

It is a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: coming of age, culture, films

GEEZING

I don't much worry about aging.

I figure that it will continue to happen to me just as it has for seventy years.

There isn't a lot that I have to do about it.

On the other hand, I sometimes want a better look into the future. How geezered will I get? What cards do I have in my deck and how should I play them?

This article was a little unsettling and then it got reassuring.

The Way We Age Now

It is pretty interesting if you can get through the cataclysms of the first paragraphs.

I didn't much like the idea that my arteries would crunch.

I think that I know what to do and who to go to when things begin to fall apart.

I do wonder what would happen if the mind went before the body.

But then I wouldn't know it was happening would I?

I liked the image at the end about the old guy (17 years older than me) driving his car and getting through his life pretty well.

Practice makes perfect.

The way to keep living well is to keep living well.

The main thing, I think, is to keep a light touch about it all and take it as it comes.

It is nice to know all this technical shit but the fact remains. I can only do the obvious next thing like ride the bike today and get involved with some of the people around me.

All the rest will come about in due course.

I was just pushing around to hear if there is any 'crunching' sound in there.

None that I can hear.

So far, so good.

Labels: coming of age

MODS VS ROCKERS

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was

Quadrophenia (1979

This is The Wild One or all those B-Biker films only set in Britain.

The background is the Who's album but it is way in the background.

It is fascinating to watch downward spirals and that is what this movie is about.

Teen age angst to the nth degree. Angsth.

The acting is fine and the production almost like a documentary.

The kid is great to watch.

Spoiler alert.

It is a bummer at the end.

Don't read this if you are going to see it.

You keep cheering for him and he finally turns you down.

By this time he is a speed addict.

No other way to go.

I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5 even though I couldn't understand some of the Brit dialogue.

Maybe a 3. I don't know. I need a bit more uplift but that was not on offer.

Labels: best films, coming of age

SEMI ANNUAL

I went in to the Doc today for my 6 month checkup.

It is all about the prostate cancer remission. I have ten years now.

But, they check out the PSA just the same; do the digital.

I will get the numbers later. The finger says I am normal.

I had nothing else to report. If I didn't have the Ca I would be seeing him annually. I used to have it every 4 months so it is less guarded than it was.

I told him about the bike accident. He didn't even feel around.

He figured an 8 week recovery was pretty good. He would have said 12.

I got a quick going over—blood pressure and heart/lungs.

He gave me the 'a-quiz' where he asks some questions that would reveal if I am shaky on memory and all.

He tries to keep it under the radar but I catch it and comment. I suppose that is part of the test too.

I have a great Doc.

I am really grateful for his presence in my life.

He knows that I want to keep the engines going at least into my nineties and he also knows that I am not afraid of missing that goal.

I am not about to do it as a feeb.

We had a half an hour with nothing to go over so we shot the shit about death and aging.

He has a lot of interesting angles on the subject as that is all he sees from 7 AM until 2 PM. An expert.

He has patients in their 90s who are very happy. He has patients in their 70s who are healthy and not happy to be 'old'.

What the fuck is that all about?

When you get to my age all this stuff is interesting.

I have a keen interest in anything that has to do with me.

Labels: coming of age, health

WATER FIGHTS

When I went to MIT, my recreational life included dormitory water fights.

The major weapons were primarily 'black mariahs'; lab hose filled with water and wrapped around one's body.

They could inflict a lot of damage on a room or group of freshman.

Occasionally, these devices would explode while on the shooter.

A mess; hose flying about, water exploding all at once.

A lot of damage on sophomores; frosh rolling on the floor with laughter.

For grenades, water balloons were used.

Here is an idea of the damage they could inflict on the enemy.

Labels: coming of age, MIT

WARM HEARTS/COLD CITY

Today's film was

Aurora Borealis (2005)

with Donald Sutherland, Louise Fletcher, Juliette Lewis and a nice boy I had not seen before, Joshua Jackson.

I know that I am into a film when I get sniffy during the first 15 minutes.

Fletcher and Sutherland play grandparents facing his decline and Jackson plays the slacker grandson who has dug himself a comfortable hole/home in the wake of his father's death ten years before.

Juliette Lewis is the spark that ignites a long simmering fire cracker in his ass and with his granddad's help he gets his mojo working. I like her a lot. She is one of those sexy 'one of the guys' types. Very hard to carry off well, which she does.

The performances are what count here as well as the wonderful lines.

The location is Minneapolis. I used to go there a lot. I ran right through a place that is shown a few times (in the distance) and (I think) close up underneath, in the fucking cold, on the creaky snow, across the river and into St. Paul. That's across the Mississippi, actually. I also ran back.

It is a great little picture and it should have gotten more notice than it did.

I will give it a 5 out of Netflix5.

Labels: coming of age, films, Sutherland

AGING NICELY

We saw Leo this morning on our Sunday walk.

He will be 94 in a month.

He is my role model.

He does a little boxer's dance and shadow boxes as he is talking and he has a grip of iron.

He is great to hug. You feel the energy coming in.

It is just a wonderful experience to be with him for even a little while.

Labels: coming of age

AND MORE

The NYTimes Review of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

Labels: coming of age, films

MORE

Today's film was about someone who left.

I have been interested in this dynamic for a long time since I was one who left too.

John and I saw a painting in the Museum of Modern Art. I think it was actually two paintings.

It was titled "Those who stay" and "Those who go away" or something.

The bottom dropped out when I saw it.

There was never any question about me staying around where I grew up. It was understood from the beginning (at least to me) that there was nothing there for me.

The hero of today's movie leaves because so much happens in his life that he cannot bear to stay any longer. He is deeply alienated.

He stays away for 15-20 years.

Then he comes back.

It is explosive.

Perhaps that is why I so appreciated the film.

The last words are about how he has left them but they have never left him; not for one day.

They are his 'saints'.

The toughest kid, the battered Antonio has gone to prison and we see him as the hero visits.

He looks to be a saint. He is beautifully realized. All the mean is gone.

He even looks a bit christ figurish; long hair and all. Beatific.

Wonderful.

Labels: coming of age, films

FAMILY

I wanted to see

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

because of the reviews that I saw and also the profiles that I read about the writer-director Dito Montiel.

The film made a big stir at Sundance.

This is a big little picture. By focusing on the small group of family and friends we see a coming of age event that we can all identify with and care about.

Odd that we don't care as much for the specific characters as for the process of it all.

Robert Downey Jr. is wonderful as the adult Dito who has not seen any of the group for 15 years even though he has made a successful book about them all. They are the saints; the kids and grown ups he left behind who influenced him so much.

Downey's acting style is so clean and crisp. Intense. He has lived a lot of life and projects that into his role.

The film alternates between the adult world and the kid world. We see many of the living grown up kids.

The filming is noisy and choppy and moves back and forth in time. It captures New York life as most of it is. The Queens; the part you go through to get to the airports.

There are many surprises.

I liked it a lot and was touched by much of the film.

Dianne Weist as the mother and Chazz Palminteri as the Dad are the only actors to play their younger and older selves. Stunning.

Wiest opens the film and grabs you by the collar.

Among the kids, Shia LaBeouf as the young Dito is rivetting. He and Downey had to work together a lot to get the same moves and all.

Channing Tatum as Dito's cousin (?) and best friend is an abused boy who dishes all his pent up anger out at others. Stud.

It will be a 5 out of Netflix5 even though it has some slack parts and I couldn't get all the dialog—NYC accent and all the noise.

Labels: coming of age, films, indies