When I was young I loved the Babar (the elephant) books. He, along with his beautiful, cultured (elephant) wife, Celeste, lived such a sophisticated, structured, orderly life in Celesteville. They had animal teas where they sat in the sun in their fine clothes with their parasols protecting them. I'm sure the books soothed me when my life was in chaos.
Some of my children loved these books as well and I'm quite sure they've shared them with their children.
Now I find that Babar and Celeste were Nazis. Or, at the very least, Fascists.
It seems that Celesteville was the capital of a well-ordered corporate Fascist state. Remember the splendid parade of citizens marching according to their estate or profession - soldiers, musicians, carpenters, fishermen, etc? I guess this is proof.
Remember when Babar's little monkey friend, Zephir, visited his homeland, which is not a kingdom but a military dictatorship under a generalissimo?
No, I don't remember this either but apparently it's further proof.
I've just got to stop reading so many New Yorker articles.
***
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Halloween Afterthoughts
This morning I read an article about how the new marketing emphasis for Halloween is geared toward teenagers and young adults.
Universal Studios has an attraction called Halloween Horror Nights. Definitely not geared toward children. In fact, there was a big push to get the "Bloody Mary" billboards on the Interstate removed.
Last night at my son's house I didn't see any out of control costumes on the streams of kids who came by. (However, last year I did.) Scary is one thing but an ax in the head with blood dripping down the face is a bit much around preschoolers.
My son let people know that we didn't want to see any teenagers in costumes that would be described as "Naughty." I.E., Naughty Nurse, Naughty Nun, Naughty Princess Leia.
We had a fun G rated Halloween.
***
Universal Studios has an attraction called Halloween Horror Nights. Definitely not geared toward children. In fact, there was a big push to get the "Bloody Mary" billboards on the Interstate removed.
Last night at my son's house I didn't see any out of control costumes on the streams of kids who came by. (However, last year I did.) Scary is one thing but an ax in the head with blood dripping down the face is a bit much around preschoolers.
My son let people know that we didn't want to see any teenagers in costumes that would be described as "Naughty." I.E., Naughty Nurse, Naughty Nun, Naughty Princess Leia.
We had a fun G rated Halloween.
***
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
A Reminder of Worse Times
Last Saturday when we were on our "Get Out the Vote" Walk, I ran into an old friend. She's a mental health counsellor. But she has created some wonderful classes over the years that are open to the community.
I took one having to do with keeping our brains healthy as we get older. I still use some of the tips.
But about six years ago I took a class for people who were going through serious crises. I needed it at the time.
Sitting next to me was a younger woman who had a debilitating disease - one that kept her in constant pain. After a couple of hours of lecture and conversation our leader (my friend) asked that we make collages depicting our feelings about our situations. She provided magazines, paste, scissors, markers and poster board.
When we finished we held up our works of art and explained them. The Young Woman in Constant Pain's collage depicted flowers and blankets and puppy dogs and hot soup. Mine depicted clouds, skulls, lightening, and words like DEATH and DESPAIR, layered over a black background. I was quite proud of it.
This past Saturday I reminded my friend of that day - and how things have changed - and thanked her for helping me get through a very bad time.
She laughed and said,
"And I didn't have you Baker Acted!"
And I said,
"Well, thank you for that too!"
***
I took one having to do with keeping our brains healthy as we get older. I still use some of the tips.
But about six years ago I took a class for people who were going through serious crises. I needed it at the time.
Sitting next to me was a younger woman who had a debilitating disease - one that kept her in constant pain. After a couple of hours of lecture and conversation our leader (my friend) asked that we make collages depicting our feelings about our situations. She provided magazines, paste, scissors, markers and poster board.
When we finished we held up our works of art and explained them. The Young Woman in Constant Pain's collage depicted flowers and blankets and puppy dogs and hot soup. Mine depicted clouds, skulls, lightening, and words like DEATH and DESPAIR, layered over a black background. I was quite proud of it.
This past Saturday I reminded my friend of that day - and how things have changed - and thanked her for helping me get through a very bad time.
She laughed and said,
"And I didn't have you Baker Acted!"
And I said,
"Well, thank you for that too!"
***
Halloween
I love Halloween. Today I bought candy. But I don't get many halloweeners in my gated condo community so I was sure to buy candy that my boyfriend and I like.
I don't dress up anymore but I used to. One year I attended a party as Arthur Fonzarelli (or Fonzy or "The Fonz".) Back then we always made our own costumes. I wore tight jeans and a t-shirt with a cigarette pack rolled in the sleeve. The big thing was soaking my short hair in Vaseline for that Fonzie hairdo. It took about six weeks to wash it out.
My kids bought big one dollar bags of stuff at the Fall church rummage sales, like crazy clothes, hats and wigs. You can make great mustaches and beards with wigs.
The little kids would be terrified and jump behind the couch when goblins started knocking on the door.
When the older kids returned from trick or treating with their loot, and dump it out on the living room floor, I would beg them for a Milky Way but they would offer only candy corn or lifesavers.
It's different now. My boyfriend and I will show up for a while at my son's house. They live on a street of big houses with wide front porches. It's fun to sit outside and hand out the candy to the hundreds of children and adults who come by - some of them arriving in cars from outside the neighborhood - all decked out in expensive but sometimes somewhat questionable costumes.
It's fun but not as much as the old time, simpler fun.
But being with family and friends is the best. My granddaughters will be decked out as princesses, of course. But then they always look like princesses to me.
***
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Crossing the Line
Yesterday my boyfriend and I walked out in the middle of a movie - possibly the first time I've ever done that.
It was Ben Stiller's latest, "Tropic Thunder" - playing at the second run neighborhood theater.
I think Ben Stiller is superbly talented. His parents, Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara were favorites of mine in the 60s. They did stand up. Lots of comedy bits about she being Irish Catholic and he being Jewish. And later they went on to do separate work. Jerry's being, most notably, Seinfield and King of Queens.
When Ben came along his work was different. Edgier from the get go. While many of my friends thought "There's Something About Mary" was in bad taste and crossed a line, I thought it was very, very funny. And, as the movie ended, it became clear that every character was good. I liked that.
I did not like "Meet the Parents." Spending two hours seeing somebody being humiliated isn't my idea of fun. Still I didn't think it crossed a line.
In considering the movie "Tropic Thunder" we knew it was a comedy and that the plot was about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make an expensive war film in Viet Nam - where they end up encountering real bad guys. Clever.
We also knew that there were fake trailers prior to the movie. Clever. We didn't know they would be so disturbing. They were offensive to me but still didn't cross a line.
The movie started with lots of fake bloodletting but it's a movie within a movie. I got it.
What crossed the line for both of us was when the director, a character that the audience had gotten to know a bit, was blown up. Ben Stiller held his head up on the end of his rifle and drank blood that was oozing from his severed neck.
Ben and the other spoiled, clueless actors were not supposed to know that this was their real friend and director - but we, the audience, knew. And several of the mostly male audience sitting around us were laughing.
This is where, to me, a line was crossed - big time!
Thank goodness it was Tuesday so we'd paid only 75 cents to get in.
***
It was Ben Stiller's latest, "Tropic Thunder" - playing at the second run neighborhood theater.
I think Ben Stiller is superbly talented. His parents, Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara were favorites of mine in the 60s. They did stand up. Lots of comedy bits about she being Irish Catholic and he being Jewish. And later they went on to do separate work. Jerry's being, most notably, Seinfield and King of Queens.
When Ben came along his work was different. Edgier from the get go. While many of my friends thought "There's Something About Mary" was in bad taste and crossed a line, I thought it was very, very funny. And, as the movie ended, it became clear that every character was good. I liked that.
I did not like "Meet the Parents." Spending two hours seeing somebody being humiliated isn't my idea of fun. Still I didn't think it crossed a line.
In considering the movie "Tropic Thunder" we knew it was a comedy and that the plot was about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make an expensive war film in Viet Nam - where they end up encountering real bad guys. Clever.
We also knew that there were fake trailers prior to the movie. Clever. We didn't know they would be so disturbing. They were offensive to me but still didn't cross a line.
The movie started with lots of fake bloodletting but it's a movie within a movie. I got it.
What crossed the line for both of us was when the director, a character that the audience had gotten to know a bit, was blown up. Ben Stiller held his head up on the end of his rifle and drank blood that was oozing from his severed neck.
Ben and the other spoiled, clueless actors were not supposed to know that this was their real friend and director - but we, the audience, knew. And several of the mostly male audience sitting around us were laughing.
This is where, to me, a line was crossed - big time!
Thank goodness it was Tuesday so we'd paid only 75 cents to get in.
***
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Oldies and Birthdays
Birthday season is beginning. There are an unusually large number of birthdays in the fall and, especially, in December.
My birthday is in December and it's a special one.
This morning we had birthday cake and coffee in my Sunday school class because Mrs. Oldie, looking beautiful, will be 89 years old this week. Her son and wife are visiting from across the country. They've celebrated her birthday almost every day since they've been here. A smart thing to do. Today they treated all of us.
Yesterday Mrs. Oldie looked even better because when we met them at Panera's for breakfast, she was wearing her Chanel suit because she thought it was Sunday. A nice contrast to the sweaty runners and the usual early morning crowd.
Even though I express a little frustration occasionally, there are no words to explain how much I love my oldies.
They are fragile now but when I first met them, he was always the smartest person in the room and she, in her quiet, unassuming way, was the nicest and best looking. Come to think of it, she still is.
Mr. Oldie and I are backing different presidential candidates. Yesterday at breakfast I asked him why he felt the way he did. He gave me a very thoughtful, reasonable response. (I don't agree with him but he made sense.)
And, yes, he had his 3 eggs fried in butter delivered to our table by the cook.
I hope Mrs. Oldie has a good birthday week - and many, many more.
***
My birthday is in December and it's a special one.
This morning we had birthday cake and coffee in my Sunday school class because Mrs. Oldie, looking beautiful, will be 89 years old this week. Her son and wife are visiting from across the country. They've celebrated her birthday almost every day since they've been here. A smart thing to do. Today they treated all of us.
Yesterday Mrs. Oldie looked even better because when we met them at Panera's for breakfast, she was wearing her Chanel suit because she thought it was Sunday. A nice contrast to the sweaty runners and the usual early morning crowd.
Even though I express a little frustration occasionally, there are no words to explain how much I love my oldies.
They are fragile now but when I first met them, he was always the smartest person in the room and she, in her quiet, unassuming way, was the nicest and best looking. Come to think of it, she still is.
Mr. Oldie and I are backing different presidential candidates. Yesterday at breakfast I asked him why he felt the way he did. He gave me a very thoughtful, reasonable response. (I don't agree with him but he made sense.)
And, yes, he had his 3 eggs fried in butter delivered to our table by the cook.
I hope Mrs. Oldie has a good birthday week - and many, many more.
***
Get Out the Vote
Yesterday, after having breakfast with my oldies and their children who've come to visit, my boyfriend and I took part in a "Vote Early" walk.
It was a gloriously beautiful day. We met a few hundred other people, including some friends, at the appointed place and walked 1.1 miles in the most beautiful village in the world. We carried American flags and balloons. The police kept us safe but there was really no need because people in cars and other pedestrians were happy to see us.
Afterwards we went to the park for a Family Fall Festival Party.
Later my boyfriend said that this was the first organized walk he'd ever done.
I told him he was fortunate because this was nothing like our Walks in the 60's where the policemen had dogs to keep us in line.
***
It was a gloriously beautiful day. We met a few hundred other people, including some friends, at the appointed place and walked 1.1 miles in the most beautiful village in the world. We carried American flags and balloons. The police kept us safe but there was really no need because people in cars and other pedestrians were happy to see us.
Afterwards we went to the park for a Family Fall Festival Party.
Later my boyfriend said that this was the first organized walk he'd ever done.
I told him he was fortunate because this was nothing like our Walks in the 60's where the policemen had dogs to keep us in line.
***
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