Friday, January 2, 2009

day one

Rearranging the bedroom and changing the linens from my sickbed seemed like a good idea for a New Year's Day housekeeping chore.

The books I pile up beside the bed, but haven't read, were lined up on the bookshelf. The tops of dressers and tables cleared of useless detritus. The bed was stripped of the old linens and and new flannel sheets put in place. The duvet was finally stuffed into its fresh cover. The cat was dragged out of the duvet cover. I was standing on the foot of the bed to give the duvet a good shake to straighten it out, then another good shake to drape it over the whole bed.

It was the second shake that did it.

That knocked against the lamp, that toppled onto the poinsettia that fell, knocking over the newly placed tumbler of water. The lamp is one of those tall skinny rod shaped ones with a small shade that clips on to the light bulb. Somehow, the shade managed to pop off the bulb, which was good because I like the shade, but not so good because it may have saved the bulb from shattering as it hit the windowsill.

Abby and I peered over the edge of the bed, looked at each other, sighed. Then she settled down to watch me clean up the by now muddy rivulets snaking a path under the bed.

So began my first day of the new year.

Later, a friend and I continued our tradition of going to a movie on New Year's and this year's choice was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It is a visually stunning film to watch. Leisurely rambling and blessedly unsentimental, it is a tale covering the reversing life of Benjamin who is born an old man as a baby and regresses to a baby as a baby as he "ages". The CGI effects of Brad Pitt's expressions put on the face attached to the various actors who play Benjamin are arresting (it is amazing that you can see Brad in the face of the 10 year old old-man-child). Humorous moments like when the true Brad Pitt appears and his childhood sweetheart, who meets up with him after a long absence, says to him: look at you, you're perfect, stop you dead as you watch him grow younger and younger. If you enjoy a plot less fantasy of life, and don't mind a melancholic, fatalistic moral, I urge you to see this film.

11 comments:

  1. Definitely not an auspicious beginning to 2009! It can only get better, right? I've been toying with seeing "Benjamin Button" myself, but I'm not a huge Brad Pitt fan (I know - I'm probably alone in that!) so I've been hesitating. Do you think the story is riveting enough that I could get past that small detail??

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  2. Pinklea: you are not alone - I'm not much of a fan either.

    Yes, it is. It's a long movie, and it does ramble. It is not so much riveting, as sit on the edge of your seat, as it sucks you into this life and you want to see how it ends.

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  3. I liked your interview questions. I imagine Ellen would be fun to hang out with. I'm glad you have recovered from your illness, but sorry your newfound energy flew all across the room. Be careful around the spot you broke the bulb. It seems small pieces of glass always remain behind somewhere after a crash.

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  4. I'm the Queen of Preventive Cleaning; i.e., catching things as they're about to fall, turn over, etc. However, sometimes those little accidents can't be avoided ((sigh)). Hopefully, that will be the worst thing that happens this year.

    I've been wanting to see Benjamin Button, but can't persuade the hubby to go with me. Also not a fan of Brad, but I am mesmerized by Cate Blanchett.

    We saw Valkyrie last week and can highly recommend this one. I'm not a Cruise fan, but the director was top-notch and managed to subdue the Tom-isms. And, of course, the story was a fascinating, edge-of-your-seat true story. I'll watch it again on DVD. I'm sure I missed lots of little things as one always does in these kinds of films.

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  5. Is Our Cate in it??? I had no idea. (Melbourne girl.)
    The kids want to see it, so we'll probably go in the school holidays.

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  6. geewits: At least it was one of those small chandelier lights - no noxious gases. But, yeah, I've kept the vacuum out for another go around.

    Frogdancer: Yes she is. I think you'd all get a kick out of seeing it.

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  7. Susan: Valkyrie doesn't interest me at all, though I may change my mind. I really, really do not like Tom.

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  8. Ooops. New Year always seems like a good reason for having a clean up of all those little bits and pieces. I hope you have got all the little shards of that light bulb up.
    Hadn't heard about the film, sounds intriguing and one I shall look out for.
    MA

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  9. BB is on my list of films to watch because I liked the short story. I don't like Brad Pitt though, so I'm hesitating.

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  10. LOL...cleaning was going so well till the second shake. I'll remember that one and only shake once when I work with linens.

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  11. I'm with you on Tom, and I have learned to appreciate Brad because he really does act well, if you can just get past his face. I want to take my sister, who is visiting from Atlanta, to a movie. The problem is I never go to movies and she goes to them all, so she's already seen both B Button and Valkyrie. I don't even know what else is playing. I used to know every movie that was out!

    Your story in the bedroom was so funny (since I knew you weren't hurt).

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