Thursday Thirteen #306

The 13 Most Influential First Ladies

I’m fascinated by our First Ladies. It’s such a public position, and yet it’s so undefined. Each woman who has held it has made it her own, finding individual ways to balance the support of her husband and family with her duties as a representative of the United States. Because the job has no formal parameters, she can be as involved (Eleanor Roosevelt), or as remote (Bess Truman), as she wishes to be.

The Research Institute at Sienna College in upstate New York regularly reviews the First Ladies and, with the help of 90 history and poli sci professors from across the United States, ranks them based on their integrity, intelligence, courage, value to country, value to the President, leadership, public image, and “being her own woman.”

Here’s the most recent ranking, which was conducted in 2014:
1. Eleanor Roosevelt
2. Abigail Adams
3. Jacqueline Kennedy
4. Michelle Obama
5. Hillary Clinton
6. Lady Bird Johnson
7. Betty Ford
8. Martha Washington
9. Rosalyn Carter
10. Barbara Bush
11. Laura Bush
12. Edith Roosevelt
13. Edith Wilson

The list is fluid. Here's my TT from 2008 on the exact same subject, if you'd like to see how it's changed.

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I can no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Revenge Tour by Mike Lupica. Boston PI Sunny Randall has taken on a fabulously successful romance novelist as a client. Melanie Joan Hall is turning her bodice-ripping series of novels into a mini-series and a cable channel, and someone is threatening her, implying that she's a plagiarist. Sunny has to get to the bottom of this before her client's burgeoning empire comes tumbling down. The stakes are raised suddenly higher when people around Melanie Joan start getting dead.

I like Sunny. She's independent, smart, strong and feminine. Let's hope this story is worthy of her.

2. What did you recently finish reading? Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer. In life, Truman Capote was better known as a celebrity than an author. He was a mainstay in the gossip columns and society pages because he surrounded himself with New York's wealthiest, most beautiful, most stylish women. 

These women fascinated him. For the most part, they were self-created. Small-town girls, children of divorce, survivors of lost fortunes ... each gained the spotlight by becoming beautiful, learning about style, and capturing the eye of progressively wealthier and more powerful men. I suppose there's something admirable, or at least likeable, about this pursuit. Especially put in the context of their times (these women were born between 1912 and 1933). 

 

Truman Capote ingratiated himself to them. He took their hospitality, encouraged their confidences, and then betrayed them in print with Unanswered Prayers. They were humiliated and they cast him out.

To me, it read like a clash of mid-century Gatsbys. It's a uniquely American and a very sad saga. I look forward to Ryan Murphy's mini-series.

3. What will read next? I don't know.

 

 

At the Movies -- The Last Day

On Day Four, I went to CVS. I got a menthol inhaler, a bag of cough drops, a box of cheese crackers and a packet of string cheese. I don't know why the last two, exactly. I didn't feel good and they just appealed to me.

I started at 9:30 again -- same time and same theater as yesterday -- with Mickey Rooney again. This time with Judy Garland and Strike Up the Band (1940). This wasn't my favorite of the festival, and I admit I dozed off (a fellow Fester said Judy shouldn't be shown before noon). But it has Judy singing "Our Love Affair." And the "I Ain't Got Nobody" scene in the library! I love it so much.

Then I wanted to see No Man of Her Own (1932), the only on-screen pairing of Gable and Lombard. But I got shut out, so instead I went with Casablanca at the big IMAX. And it was pretty perfect. Not only because Casablanca is a great movie, but because of the venue. I mean, look!

This photo is from Slant magazine (read the article here).

I'm here, with 900 like-minded classic film fans in a movie palace. It doesn't get any better than this for me.

Then I was back to one of the smaller mall venues for another very nearly perfect movie, All About Eve (1950).  This one was introduced by two "nepo babies," as TCM host Ben Mankiewicz (grand nephew of the movie's director Joe) interviewed David Newman (son of the film's composer, Alfred). I enjoy hearing about scoring, and Newman clearly knows his stuff.

As far as the movie goes ... this is the first time I've ever seen this classic with an audience and was tickled by how everyone spontaneously applauded one of my favorite moments: Bill Sampson comes running (literally running) into Margo's room, takes her in his arms, and whispers, "Bill's here, Baby." It's only then that tough-as-nails Margo drops her guard and starts to cry. At one time or another, we've all been Margo, haven't we?

Then it was time for my last movie of the festival. I admit that by now I was really dragging. I was tired, I missed my cats, I wanted to go home. And yet, I didn't. I was very conflicted as I stood one last time at the forecourt of the TCL Chinese, looking at all the movie stars' footprints in cement. 

My final movie was the 40th anniversary celebration of The Big Chill, introduced by cast members Tom Berenger and JoBeth Williams. I was especially interested to hear that JoBeth didn't want to play her part -- the dissatisfied wife, Karen -- and instead wanted to play Mary Kay Place's role -- lawyer Meg, who wants a baby. Glenn Close also wanted to play Meg. Writer/director Lawrence Kasdan had some ruffled feathers to smooth among his cast, and Williams said he did a masterful job. Now she says she can't imagine the film cast any other way.

Will, Guy and Karen all went to the Festival closing party, but I went back to my room and back to bed. I don't regret it. Will tells me the party was very crowded and this year they charged for drinks. 

The money wasn't the issue for me. I was exhausted. In between movies there was a lot running from venue to venue. Up the stairs and down the escalators. This old gray mare just ain't what she used to be.

But I had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year!

 

At the Movies -- Day Three

On Day Three, my nose was stuffy but I didn't let that stop me. I had a full plate of movies ahead of me! 

I started at 9:30 at one of the smaller mall theaters with Boys Town (1938). I haven't seen this one since I was a very little girl and was happy to revisit it.

It's the story of Father Flanagan, who famously believed that "there is no such thing as a bad boy." He created a boys home where at-risk boys could feel safe, get an education, believe in themselves. Spencer Tracy won his first Academy Award for playing the priest, who was the first real person to see an Oscar-winning depiction of himself.

I was very moved by the story and especially by Tracy. Before the movie, a representative of the Academy Museum gave us a little background that made the film even more poignant. Mickey Rooney, who played Whitey, was at this time the #1 star on the MGM lot. He was an important commodity and the studio wanted to get as much product out of him, as quickly as possible. While he was doing the drama Boys Town, he was also making Love Finds Andy Hardy, a comedy-musical. He'd finish playing Whitey on one soundstage and then dash to another where he played Andy. On the same day. He was 17. Considering what we know about his frequent costar, Judy Garland, it's easy to assume studio-provided amphetamines were involved. 

So here we were, watching a beautiful and effecting movie about saving at-risk children starring an exploited child. It was sobering.

Which doesn't diminish the power of the movie or its message. To learn more about the real Boys Town and its good works, click here.

Then it was on to the big IMAX screen to see a glorious presentation of The African Queen (1951). Shari Belafonte, who has traveled extensively through Africa, gave a little talk about the challenges of on location filming 9,000 miles away from Hollywood -- especially in 1951, when soundstages were still the norm. Hepburn, Bogart and director John Huston were all pretty influential and used their star power to get this film made the way it should be made.

I love this movie. This is (at least) the fourth time I've seen it and I'm always moved by the performances. Hepburn is luminous. A woman of faith, falling in love for the first time in mid-life. Her Rosie is just beautiful, inside and out. Bogart is funny and irascible. This is his Oscar-winning performance and he's a charmer.

For Bye, Bye Birdie I met up with Will, Guy and Ann-Margret. She was beautiful and gracious. At 81, she seem pleased to be surrounded by a crowd of classic film fans who really love the movie that made her a star.

Watching it again, I was impressed by how good Dick Van Dyke is. He was funny, sang well, and danced gracefully. Is there anything he couldn't do?

I wish I'd gotten to spend more time with Guy. He's very funny, very easy to be around. But after Birdie, we each went our own way. He was off to The Exorcist. Will, the greatest of Stanwyck fans, chose Sorry, Wrong Number. I went with one of the trashiest, most glorious movies ever.

Elizabeth Taylor was the most notorious women in America when she made this movie. She was The Other Woman who broke up the marriage of America's Sweethearts: Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. Everyone thought she was a slut, and here she was playing one.

She didn't want to appear in BUtterfield 8. She knew she was being exploited, and what's worse, it was exploitation by MGM, the studio where she'd worked since she was a girl. (The same studio that made Boys Town; these people were assholes.)

Once it was obvious she couldn't get out of it -- litigation was threatened -- Liz gave it her all. Make no mistake about it: this is a silly movie. Her leading man, Laurence Harvey, is so sour and dreadful you can't believe she'd fall for him. Her costar and then-husband, Eddie Fisher, is inconsequential. But Elizabeth Taylor is wonderful in this. She's sincere and authentic. That she won her first Oscar for a movie she always insisted she hated tells you she was much more than a glamour girl.

Any day with LaLiz and the Great Kate is a good day!

 

At the Movies -- Day Two

Day Two was our first full day of movies. I began first thing in the morning at the TCL Chinese Theater IMAX. It's a huge, iconic theater with a screen 93 feet wide.* It was the perfect venue to see another new-to-me movie, the original King Kong from 1933.

To say that this film is racially insensitive and regressive in attitude toward the sexes is a massive understatement. The special effects -- ground breaking 90 years ago -- look downright silly at times. And yet, it gripped me. Kong was just a critter. A rather sweet-natured one, at that. He only acted up when he thought his human needed his help. Great story telling is timeless. I'm glad I saw it, even at 9:00 AM.

After my date with the ape, I planned to grab a quick lunch and then race over to one of the smaller theaters to see Larceny, Inc., a 1942 crime comedy starring Edward G. Robinson. Unfortunately, as I was finishing my tater tots and preparing to pay my bill, Bob appeared at my table. Bob used to belong to our movie group but he dropped out because he's too shy to participate. Anyway, he's from a small town in Wisconsin and doesn't seem especially comfortable navigating the festival alone. I didn't want to spring up from the table ... OK, I really did want to spring up and be on my way because I had another movie to catch, but that would have been rude so I chatted with Bob for a few minutes. And was shut out of Larceny, Inc. No good deed goes unpunished, right?

Instead I returned to the IMAX. That theater has more than 900 seats and TCMFFestival goers are seldom turned away. So I caught the 30th anniversary presentation of Groundhog Day, introduced by the actor who played Ned Ryerson, Stephen Tobolowsky. I've never seen this one before, either. It's very funny -- of course it is; I mean Bill Murray and a rodent! -- but it's also far sweeter than I expected it to be.

 

Then I boarded the complimentary shuttle to the Hollywood Legion Theater. Built in the 1920s, it was the American Legion Hall for Hollywood's WWII servicemen, including Clark Gable, Henry Fonda and Ronald Reagan. Today it's run to benefit veterans. 

Learn more about the theater here.

TCM took it over for the festival and on Friday I saw Peyton Place there. It was introduced by Russ Tamblyn. You probably know him as Riff in the original West Side Story. But to me he'll always be Norman, the sensitive nerd. He was interesting and charming. The print of the movie was pristine, and the audience loved it as much as I did.

Next, Frankie Avalon saved my life. OK, that's an exaggeration. (But I like it as the title of my autobiography.) Anyway, here's what happened. The big movie at the IMAX was the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11, starring George Clooney. George and director Stephen Soderbergh were set to introduce it. TCM had taken over the screens next door at the mall. Vincent Price's House of Wax was being shown in 3D, and friends were all at the Barbara Stanwyck classic, Ball of Fire. 

 

The hotel pool screening

All those classic film festers were affected by the "shelter in place" alert. A man was shot in the head right there on The Walk of Fame, and the police were searching for the gunman who was still at large. Meanwhile, I was blocks away, poolside at the Hotel Roosevelt, wearing a lei, sipping a cocktail and waiting for Frankie Avalon to introduce the 60th anniversary screening of Beach Party. So my lowbrow tastes kept me out of harm's way. 

82-year-old Frankie looks good and was very charming. He told us he and Annette had been lifelong friends, even though they worked really hard. They made seven of these movies together over four years. Each was shot in 15 days with no days off. (Most major films have three months of principal photography.) He never did learn to surf. As he joked, he grew up in Philly, where the closest thing to swimming he got was splashing when the police opened a fire hydrant. 

Yes, Beach Party is still stupid. Perhaps even more stupid. But I had fun and was happy to miss all the drama on Hollywood Blvd.

At the Movies -- Day One

I'm finally feeling better -- a week after returning home from Hollywood. I had a lovely time, but the weather was awful (I kept hearing Sinatra's voice: "She hates California, it's cold and it's damp.") Many of us fell victim to a virus, too. My old boss, Aaron, works in Hollywood and we were going to get together and catch up. He had to cancel on my first night because of a bug, and I think I took it home with me. Rumor has it 50 TCM festival goers reported being sick on social media -- but to be clear, I don't know for certain that's true. I do know that I started feeling shitty last Saturday night and by the time I got home on Monday, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. Where I've pretty much stayed for a week.

Which doesn't mean I didn't have a great time. Fourteen movies at five different venues over four days. Surrounded by other passionate cinephiles (OK, movie nerds).  What's not to love?

I was back at the Hollywood Celebrity Hotel again this year. They did everything they could to make us TCMFF-ers feel safe and welcome, and I appreciated it. My room was also warm. I spent all day chilled as I rushed from venue to venue, and then the movie theaters themselves were entirely too cold, too.* So it was completely wonderful to burrow under the covers.

On Day One, I got together with my Chicago crew -- Karen, Betty, Will and Guy -- at the opening reception. Karen and Will competed gamely in the classic movie trivia contest. They didn't prevail, but they represented us well.

Then it was off to the movies! My first film of the festival was one I'd never seen before: One Way Passage (1932). Joan is a beautiful heiress. Don is a dapper ladies man. They meet briefly in a dockside bar and sparks fly. Then they find themselves on the same ocean liner to San Francisco. They embark on a shipboard romance, each trying to keep a secret from the other.

It was short, sweet, and very romantic. And rather rare. I don't think I've ever seen it offered anywhere, not even TCM. A poignant beginning to Festival 2023.

*When I get my email survey from TCM, this is definitely going to get a mention. 

Sunday Stealing

 PINTEREST

1. Would you rather trade some intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence? Looks for intelligence.

2. If everything in your house had to be one color what would it be? Pantone 294, aka Cubbie blue.

3. What animal would be the most terrifying if it could speak? I don't think any animal could possibly be more terrifying than us.

4. How do you procrastinate? With tremendous skill and a lifetime of experience.

5. If you had a warning label, what would yours say? Doesn't give up until absolutely forced to.

6. Would you rather go 30 days without your phone or life without dessert? My phone. Because I could use my laptop instead. There's no similar easy substitute for chocolate.

7. If one animal was made the size of an elephant, which would be the scariest? The lowly ant. They can already lift thousands of times their own weight. Imagine what they could do if they weighed several tons.

8. If you were reincarnated as a famous landmark, which would it be? Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Magic Kingdom. 

9. What celebrity chef would you like to make you dinner? Chef Art Smith. His Reunion Restaurant is a favorite of the Obamas ... and mine. I had no idea how good a fried chicken sandwich could be until I ate there. Here's the menu.

10. How much would someone have to pay you to eat a spider? There isn't enough money. I'm very allergic to bee sting. I suspect that with my body chemistry, this experiment wouldn't end well.

11. If you joined a circus, what would your circus act be? Wow. I got nothing for this. I must admit I have no circus-worthy talents.

12. Do you have any superstitions? Sure. I recite my same Sunday School prayer when I'm scared (like fight take off and landing).

13. What cheesy song do you have memorized? Her name was Lola. She was a showgirl, with yellow feathers in her hair and her dress cut down to there. She could merengue and do the cha-cha. And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar across the crowded floor ...

14. What’s something weird that you recommend everyone try at least once? Go to Graceland. Such a fascinating cross section of humanity congregates around The King.

15. What do you think is the most unpleasant sounding word? "Smegma." Fortunately it seldom comes up in conversation.

Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: I Won't Be the One to Let Go (2002)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Barbra Streisand begins by singing about dreams and wishes. What are you wishing for this morning? I want to feel better. I've felt crappy all week. I blame LA. When I was in Hollywood for the TCM Film Festival, my Cubs just so happened to be playing the Dodgers. Two of the Cubs broadcasters, Pat Hughes (radio) and Taylor McGregor (TV) came home sick, as well. Coincidence?

2) Barry Manilow sings that "anytime you need me, you'll know where I am." If a friend needs you, what's the best way to reach you (text, phone call, email, knock on the front door ...)? Call my landline. If you are my friend or relative, you have the number. It's been the same for decades. If I'm not home, leave a voicemail. I'm not tethered to my cell. It's either in my purse or charging on the kitchen counter. I won't hear it ring and I won't see your text until the next time I pick it up or go out. 

My nephew knows this, but still is a text-only guy. He not only won't call my landline, he won't call my cell. He will not talk on the phone. Nor will he Zoom. I assume he has to use Zoom for his job but he won't for his personal life. He's 22 and just "never got into the habit" of talking on the phone. We each think the other is strange.

 

3) Both of this week's artists are from Brooklyn. In addition to Barry and Barbra, Brooklyn is home to Coney Island, where America's first roller coaster debuted in 1884. Do you enjoy amusement park rides? If yes, do you have a favorite? I used to. I haven't been on one in years. None of my friends will go with me! I used to love the Tilt a Whirl.

4) Barbra and her husband, actor James Brolin, have lived in the same Malibu home for more than 25 years. How long have you been in your current residence? Do you think you'll be moving anytime soon? I've been here 21 years. I'm not leaving. You can't make me.

5) Barry Manilow once lived in luxurious Bel Air. His neighbors were former President and Mrs. Reagan. At first he thought it would be great to have the Reagans nearby but quickly changed his mind because he disliked the Secret Service helicopters flying overhead. Tell us about one of your neighbors. (No pressure; we don't expect to hear about historic figures.) My across-the-hall neighbor is a woman of about 30 who always wears a white blouse to work (she's a bank teller) and she has tremendous false eyelashes. I worry about her. She lived with a very amusing stoner for about a year. During covid, I distinctly recall encountering him in the hall and watching him miss his nose/mouth with his mask so he looked like the Lone Ranger. Anyway, they got married and in no time all, he moved out. She's trying to afford the condo without him, but it's hard. He won't let her sell it until their divorce settlement is worked out. She may have to rent it out and move in with her parents until their divorce is final and she can sell. I know all this because I'm on the condo board and have to approve the rental. ANYWAY, she seems stressed and sheepish every time I see her. I hope she gets through this rough patch and comes out happier on the other side.

 

6) As a teenager, Barbra worked as a switchboard operator. Her job consisted of connecting calls by inserting phone plugs into the appropriate jacks. As telephoning became automated, these jobs were phased out and by 1983, the switchboard operator was obsolete. Can you think of another occupation that used to be common but doesn't exist anymore? I thought it would be cool to be an elevator operator, like Miss Kubelik in The Apartment. You got to work in a big office building and wear a spiffy uniform.

 

7) Loyal Fanilows can subscribe to ManilowTV. For $9.95/month, fans can watch exclusive content, like interviews and concert performances. Do you more often watch live broadcast TV or streamed content? I'm still more broadcast than stream. I watch a lot of news and baseball.

8) In 2002, the year this recording was released, the Sears Wish Book offered seven different collectible Barbies. According to Mattel, the doll's manufacturer, there are more than 100,000 Barbie collectors all over the world. Do you collect anything? Books and magazines. I'm overrun with books and magazines.

9) Random question: Are you exclusively an online/ATM bank customer, or do you often go into the branch and interact with a teller? I never actually spoke to anyone at the bank, but now I go to the window to turn in the quarters from the laundry room. (One of the few benefits of being on the condo board is that I no longer have to hoard quarters.)

 

 

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #305

 

Thirteen facts about the Hollywood sign. I spent five nights in Hollywood and this sign seems to float overhead, adding a little glamor to what can at times be a pretty tacky place.

1. When it was first built in 1923, the sign had nothing to do with the movie business. It was an ad for "Hollywoodland," a real estate development.

2. The letters are 45' tall and today they are made of metal. They were originally constructed of wood and metal, but the wood couldn't withstand the elements and in the 1940s were replaced with 100% metal.

3. The letters are painted in a bright white and outlined in black for maximum visibility.

4. The Hollywood sign sits on land that is part of Griffith Park. 

5. While it can easily be seen from countless vantage points, tourists can hike up to the sign along a trail through Griffith Park.

6. If you'd rather ride, the Hollywood sign is a stop on many of the sight seeing bus tours.

7. Earlier in 2000s, a developer wanted to build homes nearby, but that idea was nixed by the City of Los Angeles. To protect it, the sign has been declared a cultural landmark.

8. Because it's so iconic, it's often been the target of vandals. Most notably, in the 1970s it was changed to read "Hollyweed."

9. It was repaired quickly by the Hollywood Sign Trust, a charitable organization created for the sign's upkeep.

10. In 1978, Alice Cooper donated $30,000 to the trust in memory of Groucho Marx.

11. In case you're thinking of doing a little mischief up there, know that the letters are now protected by security sensors.

12. The sign was infamous in 1932 when 24-year-old actress Peg Entwistle leapt from the "H" to her death. Her suicide note said, "I am afraid I am a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, I would have saved a lot of pain. P.E." No one knows for certain why she did it, but her career was progressing so her reasons were likely personal, not professional.

13. It was also once hit by a drunk driver. Back in the Roaring 20s, a man lost control of his car and it rolled down the hill into the "H." The car was totaled, but the driver survived and the "H" was repaired.

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

Oh, well, all it ruined was the flight

Photo by Isabella Fischer on Unsplash

I have felt awful since Monday morning. Congested, tired, headachey. No fever, though, and none of the dastardly gastrointestinal upset that plagued me during my 2020 bout with covid.

No, this feels like the garden variety flu. As awful as I feel, I'm grateful that it's not serious and that it didn't ruin my movie-going. Monday was my travel day, and I hate flying so it's not like this had a negative impact on my TCM Film Festival experience.

Something seems to be going around Los Angeles. I was supposed to have lunch with my darling former boss, Aaron, last Wednesday and he had to cancel. He was battling a bug, too! 

Oh, well. If you'll excuse me, I have to roll over and go back to sleep.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I can no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer. Truman Capote surrounded himself with "swans," the cream of New York society. Ultra rich, ultra sophisticated, ultra everything. Their power came from the exquisite lives they created for their powerful husbands. They lived in a rarefied atmosphere, and they fascinated Truman. He was their mascot, their brilliant but platonic best buddy. What they didn't know was that he couldn't be trusted. He was chronicling their lives for his big opus, his mid-century Manhattan version of Marcel Proust.

 

These women are so shallow they are tragic. They have no power of their own, they live in the reflected glory of their men. I think they would be surprised to know that a plain old working girl like me pitied them. But nothing seemed to give their lives meaning, not their husbands, not their lovers, not their children. To have real careers would be vulgar (and one of the "swans," Lee Radziwill, had the attention span of a gnat). This was the mid-60s and early 70s. Vietnam, civil rights, the women's movement, the war on poverty. None of this social upheaval touched them. Their lives revolved around their social calendars and their holiday trips.

It's a fascinating look at a world that (I believe) has vanished. I'm glad I'll be done with it before the Ryan Murphy miniseries premieres.

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene. This is Nancy Drew Book #1. Where it all started. The most popular girl in River Heights solved her first right here.

 

Her doting father, esteemed attorney Carson Drew, is here. So is Hannah Gruen, the loving cook/housekeeper who loads Nancy up on the best breakfasts. Nancy tools around in her blue convertible. Some things are missing, though: Nancy hasn't started seeing her loyal boyfriend, Ned, and she solves this mystery without the help of her buds, Beth and George. They must not appear until later books.

So Nancy Drew was the precursor of Kinsey Milhone in Sue Grafton's Alphabet Mysteries. I can't remember what happened in A Is for Alibi, but I know Kinsey has a little black dress, cuts her own hair with manicure scissors, and has a crush on Henry.

3. What will read next? I don't know.

 

 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I can no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene. Yes, I'm revisiting the first Nancy Drew book! Country Dew said she'd reread them recently, and I'm following her lead.

 

Shit just happens to Nancy Drew. She's motoring up the road in her blue convertible, a gift from her doting father (esteemed lawyer Carson Drew) when she encounters little Judy, a young girl who needs rescuing. She returns Judy to her guardians, a pair of elderly aunts, the Hoover sisters. Not only are the Hoover sisters broke and worried about how to provide Judy with the education she deserves, they have just been robbed! Wait, there's more. The Hoovers share with Nancy that their cousin, Josiah Crowley, the recently-deceased richest man in town, had promised to include them in his will and didn't. 

Who stole the sisters' stuff? Why would Old Man Crowley renege on his promise? If she doesn't get to the bottom of this, her name isn't Nancy Drew!

 

I'm having fun with this book, and remembering the 7-year-old Gal who first read it.

2. What did you recently finish reading? Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. Wow. This memoir is scorchingly candid. There are times in this book when Matthew Perry admits to being selfish, insensitive, indulgent. He also acknowledges how much he threw away. During the run of Friends he got A-List movie roles and was compared to Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis (two other fast-talking sitcom actors who transitioned to the big screen). After Friends he was able to get three (3!) TV series "green lighted" by the networks. He had affairs with important, consequential women (Julia Roberts, Jamie Tarses) and countless girls who loved him. It all evaporated because of drink and drugs. As he says more than once, as an explanation and not an excuse, his body was trying to kill him.

It's sad, it's honest, and it's very funny, because Matthew Perry has a great deal of Chandler Bing in him. This is the book I wish Jenny Lawson had written, for the humor here is organic, not forced.

3. What will read next? Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer. I want to be done with it before the miniseries airs.

 

Why did it have to happen now?

I leave for vacation tomorrow at 7:00 AM. Today I had a doctor's and dentist's appointment. Laundry and packing. I've been busy and I'm tired and 7:00 feels awful early.

It was this evening that I saw him. A big, rather dirty tom. He certainly looked well fed. He was wary of me as I took out the garbage. I interrupted him as he made his way across our property to the neighbor's.

I called out to him and began trying to make friends when it hit me: I can't. I don't have time tomorrow to take him to the vet or the animal shelter to see if he's chipped. I leave for the airport at 7:00 AM.

I want to believe he's not lost and on his way to his own yard and home. Maybe he'll be safe soon enough.

I hope so.

As much as I want to, I can't save them all.

Photo by Jack Blueberry on Unsplash 

A memorable Easter

I've been upset with our interim minister lately. She's been pushing us to give up our church building. She says we're "too attached to an edifice," that we spend too much on upkeep,* that the Sunday School is too cramped ... Yadda yadda yadda. I don't care. I love this building. Our congregation has been worshiping on this spot since 1909. It's sacred to me. Besides, she's a short-timer who will move on sometime this spring, when our new full-time minister formally accepts the offer that's been tendered. So just shut up with this "edifice" talk and let me worship where I feel closest to God and community.

I'm being unfair, I know. We were a mess when our previous minister was canned. As a congregation, we were divided about his dismissal. Some thought he was insensitive to church employees and guilty of neglecting the administrative part of his job. Others felt dismissal was too severe a punishment for infractions that had nothing to do with stewardship. Our interim minister did a very good job of calming the waters and bringing us back together as a congregation. 

And she's good on the holidays. Her Christmas Eve sermon resonated with me. It was an unconventional musing about what she'd do if an angel appeared before her. It was warm, funny, and made me feel closer to her because what she imagined she's say to the angel sounded quite a bit like my personal conversations with the God. 

Today, for Easter, she talked about the Resurrection in a highly original way. She began by comparing/contrasting the discrepancies in the Bible. Matthew, Mark, and Luke seem to contradict one another on how many women came to the tomb, to whom Jesus first appeared, etc. She said, and I heartily agree, that these details shouldn't distract from the message: Christ rose. 

Instead, she said, she wondered how the Resurrection felt to Jesus. He'd spent three days away, three days in the realm of the dead. Was He confused upon His return? His wounds hadn't healed -- after all, He let Thomas touch them -- so was He in pain?

Resurrection must have been uncomfortable for Jesus, she reasoned. So we should expect it to be difficult for us when we reinvent ourselves, emerge from a bad patch, come through the rain. The important thing is that we maintain our focus on love and compassion, even as we navigate our new paths. His example is there for us to learn from.

Maybe because it's Easter, but I suddenly feel lighter. I heard the 1982 song "You Are" on the radio today. It was one of "our" songs, popular during the good times in my long, complicated relationship with a tortured man. I avoided this song because when I heard the refrain, "... and I'd do it all again," I felt it was mocking me. In real time, I felt I had no choice but to love that man and once I committed to him I had to stay. If I loved him enough I could heal him and us. My devotion and loyalty were rewarded with cruelty and violence. 

Yet today when I heard "... and I'd do it all again," I didn't feel angry, or rueful, or foolish. I felt like it no longer matters. It was half a lifetime ago. Yes, this relationship changed me, even damaged me. But I came through. I had my personal rebirth today, too, so I can finally forgive him for what he did, and forgive myself for all I accepted and how long I stayed.

It feels good.

*OK, that one's valid.