A Serious Man

We saw the Coen brothers movie, "A Serious Man" last night at our local art theater that seats about 100 people at tables with comfy chairs and serves wine and snacks brought by waiters.

That is to say, this movie is not main stream.

But I was looking forward to it because I love most of the movies made by Joel and Ethan Coen. And they grew up very close to where Dave lives in Minnesota. in a middle class Jewish neighborhood, the sons of college professors.

This movie is about a college professor in a middle class Jewish community in Minnesota in the 70s.

The reviews for "A Serious Man" have been all over the place. The New Yorker called it "unwatchable" and our local reviewer said pretty much the same. But I looked up "Rotten Tomatoes" and they gave it a positive 85% on their TomatoMeter.

Many of the reviewers have likened the lead character to Job in the Bible. I don't think so. Job suffered mightily but he was strong, never gave up on God (even when his loving wife begged him to "curse God and die") and - in the end - Job comes out smelling like a rose.

But the movie is very, very Jewish.

The guy has no backbone. About the only thing he has going for him is his integrity and in the end he looses that.

Here's the worst part. He experiences nothing but pain and suffering, much of it brought on by himself - THEN THE MOVIE ENDS.

We don't know:

-If the tornado kills everybody.
-If he has lung cancer.
-If he goes home and tells his wife he's sleeping in his own bed and if she doesn't like it she can go sleep at the Jolly Roger.
-If he gets tenure.
-What the heck the Polish language beginning has to do with anything.

By the way, this is a comedy.

All of the above might make you think I hated "A Serious Man." But I didn't. I was fascinated by it.

Like one of the reviewers said, Go see it..."but you will not understand anything that's going on!"


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Judy

I have this friend. I've known her for over 30 years but she lives across the state so I don't see her much. She's physically and spiritually beautiful. One of the things we have in common is that her husband had Alzheimer's and she took excellent care of him.

I couldn't help but be sad but relieved when he died a couple of years ago because she would be free to have a new life. Maybe even one like I've been blessed with.

But a few months later she was diagnosed with lung cancer.

I contacted her a few times - but not enough. Then she moved fairly close to me to be with her children so I made a mental note to see her. I was wondering if she'd feel well enough, with the chemo and all, to go to lunch.

Last week she died.

This isn't the first time I've experienced this. Below is a poem I wrote in the 70s. You'd think I would have learned my lesson.

MARGARET RITZ

Margaret Ritz, Margaret Ritz,
I'll call yo when I can.
You haven't seen me lately,
but that was the risk you ran,
When you chose me for a friend,
And cluttered up my plans,
I do important things, you know,
I'll call you when I can.

Margaret Ritz, Margaret Ritz,
I heard you when you said,
That friends are hard to come by,
But I've got to plan ahead.
Now you've played an awful trick on me,
In the church bulletin I read,
While mediating on my life,
"Margaret Ritz is dead."


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Do They Like Us in Outer Space?

Do you wonder about what -or if - they know of us in space?

Remember several years ago when they sent that drawing by da Vinci out on a space probe so that alien beings could know what we human beings look like? Wonder what they thought of us. We never heard back.

Not to worry.

The current issue of Newsweek reminds us that TV signals begin their endless journey outward into the cosmos at the speed of light and never stop.

So here's the deal.

Approximately 70 light years from here, near the star Aldebaran, they're now receiving "Howdy Doody."

Out 50 light years, near the star Capella, they can catch the first episodes of the "The Brady Bunch." This is good because it was the favorite childhood program of our first lady, Michelle Obama. She named all of the Brady kids on "Leno" last night, including that strange little after thought, Oliver.

Out 30 light years away, near the star Altair, some little green being is probably watching "Saved by the Bell."

Is there life on other planets? If so, they're learning all they need to know from these programs and others, like "Spongebob Squarepants."

I hope they like us.


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Social Sins

Just heard a guy speak, actually rail on and on, about how some other people are living their lives. Especially those two big sins social conservatives like to obsess over.

Please don't yell at me about homosexuality. I'm not even gay.

Here's the thing. There are other sins in the Bible mentioned way more often. Here's a short list of themes that run from beginning to end, Old Testament to New Testament.

Gossiping - Huge theme. The Bible couldn't be more clear about how much damage gossip does.

Money Management - Jesus preached about this more than almost anything else. Don't spend what you don't have. Be a saver.

Coveting, Stealing and putting ourselves above others - OK, this is the basis for the whole world wide economic mess we are now in.

Taking Care of the Poor - I sometimes wish this wasn't emphasized so much because it really cuts into my time and my travel budget - but it's there. In spades. Take care of the poor, the widows and orphans.

Lying - Yikes! God really hates it when I do this. But God doesn't hate me. God loves me.

Loving Others - The is the entire basis for the Christian movement. And we don't get to pick and choose who's in and who's out.

Judging - I find it to be almost a full time job to deal with the above sins in my life so I don't have much time to judge others. No, wait, I started this piece by judging this guy and now I'm gossiping about him - so I have a ways to go.


***

What's Out There?

When I was a little kid I used to lie on my back in the grass and study the sky. I liked to pretend that my mom or Jesus would appear on the edge of a cloud. Sometimes, if I squinted just so, I could even see them for a minute.

Two articles in this morning's paper kind of address this issue.

The first tells us that European astronomers have found 32 new planets outside our solar system. Six of them are several times bigger than Earth.

The other story is about a professor at Macalester college in Minneapolis. His job is to find new galaxies. And he does. He says it happens so often that it gets boring.

But now they've discovered a galaxy that's altogether different than anything they've seen before. The professor says they were "flabbergasted" by what they detected.

This galaxy might tell us how all of the galaxies are formed.

What an amazing time in which to live.

They might find my mom out there after all.


***

What Time is Breakfast?

I've been having Saturday breakfast with my Oldies for many, many years. During the 8 year period that my husband was on dialysis and I had to drop him off at 5:30 A.M. they met me for a very early breakfast.

They were reliable, responsible and always there for me.

As the years went by we adjusted the time back to a reasonable 8 A.M. I could set my watch by them. (Even most of you know that Mrs. Oldie has that standing hair appointment at 9:30.)

Last Saturday when we arrived at Panera's at eight they were finished eating and wondered where we were.

Today they weren't there. At 8:45 I dialed my cell but as I looked up I saw them. They were sitting down at a table for two.

We corralled them over to our booth. But they'd forgotten to stand in line to order their breakfasts so they left their things - including Mrs. Oldie's purse - and headed for the line.

They were gone a long time. Then we looked around and saw them sitting at yet another table for two happily eating their breakfast. Dave said, "Should we corral them again?"

We did - and had a pleasant visit. Mr. Oldie and Dave shared the contents of their sketchbooks.

We left for our walk but, later, on the way back to the car Dave said, "Do you think we should remind them of the hair appointment?"

But it was 11 AM so we didn't bother.


***

Cell Phones and Driving

There's been much in the news the last couple of days about Maria Shriver being seen using her cell phone while driving after her husband and governor of California, Arnold S., signed a law forbidding it.

Most of the people I know use their cell phones while driving. I almost never do. Here's why: I can't seem to do two things a once these days. It's not so much the talking as the dialing, of course, but even talking seems tricky when I have to hold the phone.

Both hands on the wheel! Ten and two!

I sure understand the need to get work done while spending endless hours in traffic but maybe the compromise should be hands free talking.

However, I don't like other drivers not making eye contact with me due to chatting. That's rude and dangerous. A while back a woman bumped my car at a light. I got out, looked at the bumpers, walked to her car and tapped on the window. She never got off the phone.

Despite all the funny suggestions for ways the Terminator might punish his wife for this infraction, I'm sure they'll work this out.

My guess is that the strongest man in the world has said something like this.

"Maria, would you pretty please not use your cell phone while driving and being photographed?"

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