fabrisse

R.I.P. Sonny Rollins

2026-05-26T03:31:25Z

The Guardian's obituary is here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/26/sonny-rollins-jazz-saxophone-dies-aged-95

I don't think Dad owned a single album of his and yet we had so many songs by him. He worked with so many of Dad's favorite musicians. We had Sonny Rollins playing with the Modern Jazz Quartet on two different albums. Art Farmer and Thelonius Monk and Duets with Dizzy Gillespie were all part of walking into my Dad's office while he was working. In Belgium, they were just things we put on the record player on weekend afternoons.

I never saw him live, but I know that he's still a part of my past.

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Georgia Primary Results

2026-05-20T16:46:40Z

The run-offs will be held on June 16. Early voting is expected to take place June 8-12, but that isn't set in stone.

Joyce Griggs is in the lead for the Democratic run-off for District 1 Representative. The Republicans don't have a run-off for this office because the Trump endorsed candidate won.

Buddy Carter didn't make the Republican run-off for Senator. I'm thrilled, but Chatham County (my county) gave him 60% of the Republican vote. There's no Democratic run-off because Ossoff was unopposed.

The Republicans also have a run-off for Governor, and it's between the two loathsome candidates who have been sniping at each other since January, Rick Jackson and Burt Jones. My candidate for governor didn't win, but I'll happily vote for Keisha Bottoms come November.

There's a run-off for Lieutenant Governor on both sides. Nabilah Parkes, whom I support, is in the run-off. Fingers crossed.

My picks for the Labor and Insurance commissions didn't succeed, but my guy with the high school diploma is the Democratic candidate for the Farm commission. I'm very, very please with that, but mildly disappointed on the other two.

Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin both lost their shots against the sitting Supreme Court Justices. This may stem from the Ethics Investigation that was launched because they both stated on the record that they supported abortion rights. They got an injunction against it for violating their first amendment rights, but how many people just saw the initial investigation. Rankin came very close. There were less than two percentage points separating her from the incumbent, but the incumbent hit 51.1% of the vote to her 48.9%. Jen Jordan lost by 19%.

I'll vote again in June. I'll hope Joyce Griggs and Nabilah Parkes come through for the state. I think they're good candidates.

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Bless me, O internet...

2026-05-18T18:54:45Z

As always, after voting, I feel shriven. I'm in Georgia. The primary is officially tomorrow, but Sis and I managed early voting last Wednesday. It wasn't just in and out, though, I had to wait nearly two minutes.

I selected the Democratic Primary. My hope is that the Republicans can implode without help. Two of our leading Republican candidates for governor, Burt Jones and Rick Jackson, have been running some of the nastiest attack ads that I've ever seen. My one wish for Wednesday morning is to find that neither of those clowns either heads the ticket or is in the run-off (which is required if no-one gets a clear majority; it only takes the top two).

I'm somewhat hopeful that Buddy Carter -- my current congress critter -- won't make the top of the Republican ticket for Senate. Why, you ask, am I so hopeful? Because in what was his Congressional District, I've seen only one yard sign for him. Jon Ossoff was unopposed on the Democratic ballot, thank heaven.

For some of the "lesser" offices -- I don't think any office is lesser, quite frankly, but they get treated that way -- Ballotpedia, and indeed the candidates themselves, were unhelpful. I ended up choosing two candidates without university degrees. One was the only farmer running for the Commissioner of Agriculture; the other was a pro-union activist (Georgia is a "right to work" state) who was running for Commissioner of Labor.

I picked the only candidate for Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner who had no past affiliation with any insurance company.

Most importantly, I voted for Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin. They are running for different State Supreme Court seats against incumbents who have supported the dismantling of women's health care and just generally lean right. I hope neither of these ladies ends up in a run-off.

My one emotional pick is for Representative. I would like Joyce Griggs to get the nod. I think she has a reasonable chance. She's a combat veteran who is in favor of affordable housing, appropriate health care subsidies, and a woman's right to choose. In a ten minute conversation with her, I also found out that she's anti-death penalty, something that doesn't really matter at the Federal level at the moment. If she makes it onto the November ballot, I've offered to be the nice white lady who sits and nods in the background. She said she might take me up on that in certain areas of the Congressional district.

Keep your fingers crossed that we don't have too many run-offs, although, at this stage, they are internecine fights. Run-offs can make people dig in to the extent that they won't support the candidate who wins if it's not their favorite.

We'll know on Wednesday.

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R.I.P. Michael Pennington

2026-05-11T19:55:50Z

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/may/11/michael-pennington-was-an-actor-of-astonishing-range-a-wise-writer-and-witty-company

I flunked out of college in May of 1980. My parents told me that they would continue paying for my degree, if I passed class through University of Maryland University College before the new semester started in Brussels.

I chose a one-week intensive Shakespeare class in Stratford Upon Avon. I love the instructor enough to take two more classes from her later. She was a remarkable teacher.

We saw several plays at the Royal Shakespeare Company's main stage, beginning with Michael Pennington's Hamlet. I saw it twice more that week. I loved it because it introduced me to Tom Wilkinson who played Horatio. While many critics liked the production -- and loved Pennington as Hamlet -- I found Hamlet and Ophelia weak, but I loved the supporting cast. (I want to say that I saw the play again during free time on that course and met a woman who had seen Gielgud play Hamlet. I also saw it twice more when it moved to London and I joined the UMUC there for a year. It was better in London.)

Later, Sis took a theater class in London from the same instructor. I was able to join her for the weekend and we saw Venice Preserved with Pennington, McKellan, and Jane Lapotaire (who died two months ago). This was where I really understood Pennington's appeal as an actor. McKellan was the more dynamic of the two, but the two of them had an intensity that leapt over the proscenium.

Most Americans might recognize him either from a PBS detective drama or from his tiny parts in the Star Wars franchise.

I have a recording of him reading all the lessons at a Lessons and Carols recorded with the King's College Choir, and his voice is beautifully textured.

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Ouch, pt 2

2026-04-27T14:34:38Z

Do you know what hurts with a cracked rib?

Hiccups. Sneezes. Coughs.

The first two tie for worst because they are both involuntary and a surprise.

Generally, I'm doing better. I love lidocaine patches because they help me sleep at night.

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Ouch!

2026-04-09T04:01:05Z

I fell this evening. There's a gap between the cement driveway and the lawn; my foot got caught which rolled my ankle. I landed hard on both wrists, but the big issue is the plastic bin I was carrying back into the house.

It's the liner to a metal trashcan. The top is fairly flexible, but the bottom is rigid. I landed hard enough on the xiphoid process that I was worried that I had damaged internal organs. I hadn't.

Sis got me to the emergency room because so many parts of my body were either bruising or swelling But the longer I waited at the ER, the more my bottom left rib hurt. It's cracked. My wrists and ankle are fine, too. My neck was feeling like I'd whiplashed (again), but the CAT scan showed no injuries to the brain or spine. It just hurts.

So, I'm on hydrocodone for the next few days. I was prescribed heavy duty lidocaine patches for the rib. And as I know from having cracked this rib before, I need to sleep propped up. I do some anyway for the asthma, but I've added a little more height for the rib.

On a funnier note, we put Nora in her crate before we go out just to keep her from rough housing with Nicky and potentially hurting her spine before it's fully healed. When we got home tonight, Nora was out of her crate. Sis was pretty sure she'd put Nora in, but there was a chance that the front flap hadn't been fully zipped. Nope. Nora has figured out that the crate is soft sided and pulled the side down enough that she could get over it. She's so proud of herself.

Here's hoping that all of you are doing better than I am.

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March 25, 1975

2026-03-25T15:51:46Z

I hadn't seen dad since August the year before when he'd been brought home from Saigon for a week. Sis and I got three days out of summer camp to see him. It's how I got to see Nixon's resignation on TV (we barely had radio at summer camp). It wasn't until 1986 that I asked Dad if that's why he'd been brought back. Turns out that he'd been brought back to brief the National Security Council at Camp David and had been in the White House (not the Room Where It Happened, but close) during the resignation speech.

But today's date was when he came back, end of the tour of duty. I greeted him with "We just heard on the radio that Da Nang fell." His response was "That's the end, then." At that point we hugged and said "love you" and "missed you," but we were a military family of a particular time and culture.

The official date of the Fall of Saigon is April 30, my parents wedding anniversary. Between March 25 and April 30, dad took quite a bit of his saved leave. It had been planned, but he took more than originally planned because I got a virus.

Now the virus is interesting. The doctor suspected mononucleosis -- which panicked me because there used to be PSAs about "the kissing disease" -- and cultured me for it. My fever was dreadfully high. But when the doctor called that night about the culture -- he'd fast tracked it due to the fever -- he stated they'd never seen anything like it before.

I think things might have been easier for Dad if he'd been going to the Pentagon a couple of times a week. There would have been others who understood better than we could.

There was a project to get as many of the mixed-race kids out of there that they could. They were reasonably certain that non-Asian children would get the mothers killed and might get the children themselves harmed.

It mostly went well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Tan_Son_Nhut_Lockheed_C-5_crash

One plane crashed. We saw it on the news and were, of course, deeply saddened by the 138 people killed. About two hours after the news, Dad got a direct call. His secretary, Loni, had been one of the people killed on the flight. In the ten days-ish that he'd been home we'd heard stories about her helping people get in to see him or keeping people from seeing him or just about her general good humor. After that week, I heard her name maybe a dozen times before his death. He just couldn't tell stories, not humorous ones at any rate, about that time.

If you subscribe to Prime Video, you can see "The Last Days of Vietnam" for free. It helped me pull a few things into perspective. If you're on the close enough filter that you know my real name, the January 14, 2021 entry on this blog has an interview with my father about this time in his life.

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She's Recovering

2026-03-20T00:37:08Z

Elle's operation went well. She's having no pain, but she's also mentioned good drugs.

As suggested, we're communicating via text or via Kay.

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Live Performance

2026-03-16T18:40:36Z

Weighing in on the Timothee Chalamet remarks.

First of all, I understand what he was trying to say. Live Theater, Ballet, and Opera (and Jazz, in some cases) have become so expensive that it's hard to see much of it, especially at a high level.

On the other hand, as someone who has given up food to see a Royal Shakespeare Company production (and that's not including things like waiting in line for hours for the cheaper same day tickets or the armchair proms), nothing touches being in the same room as the performers. There is an alchemy that occurs.

If it's made for a screen, there can be some question about whether the human body or human voice can actually do what's being portrayed. If you're in the same room -- even if you're getting a nosebleed up in the gods -- you can tell that everything is possible.

In some cases, people are told "oh, you wouldn't like it" and believe what they're told. I had a colleague who quietly asked me, "Do you know anything about opera?" We went to see The Girl of the Golden West by Puccini within the week. There were cheap tickets available because it wasn't a full house. She enjoyed it. We ended up seeing Faust and another opera, I think Manon by Massenet, together, and she continued attending operas.

She'd been told Opera wasn't her type of thing, but she heard an aria somewhere and decided to try it.

I was lucky. When Dad was assigned to London, the USO had tickets available for various performances. Once Dad found out about it, he took Mom to see her first Opera -- Madama Butterfly -- and they ended up in the area of the Grand Balcony reserved for Princess Margaret. She released the tickets when she knew she wasn't attending, and they often ended up as USO tickets. Mom insisted that her kids weren't going to wait until they were over 30 to see an opera, so we attended Hansel and Gretel at a matinee.

Ballet was an easier sell, though I think Sis and I are among the very few kids who saw Swan Lake before they saw The Nutcracker.

Modern Dance was something that I explored on my own thanks to high school dance classes.

But being dismissive about the lively arts doesn't get more people into the movie theater. It's not an either/or proposition.

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My Friend Elle

2026-03-13T20:27:55Z

I've mentioned Elle in other posts. [https://fabrisse.dreamwidth.org/2016/12/04/ is the most important one] We've known each other since high school. She would hate me for stating that we graduated in 1979, even if I am keeping her pseudonymous. She's rarely on time for anything. She has an opinion on everything -- which granted is a shared trait. She regularly frustrates me, but she has been my most faithful and generous friend for 48 years (and that's a number that will kick a person in the head).

Elle called me on Wednesday because she's having surgery next week. About a month ago, she called her dentist to mention a sore on her tongue which hadn't gone away. They had her at an oral surgeon's office very quickly, and the sore was excised. It was also sent for biopsy.

It was a squamous cell carcinoma. They think they got it all, but the nature of squamous cell means that they can't be sure. A larger area will be removed on Tuesday, and the surgeons will check for lymph node involvement. If they find it, Elle may end up having her tonsils (and possibly adenoids) removed. The surgery is supposed to be in and out on the same day.

Our friend Kay will be looking after her. Elle can't talk for a week to ten days and will be on heavy painkillers for that long. I can't imagine her keeping quiet for that long, especially with what's going on in today's world.

Keep her in your thoughts, please. We've known each other since high school in Brussels, and there's literally no one else in my life, other than Sis, whom I've known as long.

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How do I...

2026-03-04T18:39:11Z

upload a private video? It's just ten seconds of Nora doing PT, but I think the cuteness should be shared.

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RIP Dan Simmons

2026-03-02T20:32:14Z

I didn't like the Hyperion series, but I am happy that I've read it. His civilization, and its pilgrims, were alien in the best sense. The Shrike will feature in my nightmares for years to come.

While it may not have been to my taste, I recognize that we have lost another original voice in science fiction and that's sad for the communities of fans and writers.

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Doggie PT

2026-02-06T03:31:24Z

The first appointment was on Tuesday. I had Nora in her stroller, clipped in, and had just gotten out the front door. I set the brake and turned to close the front door behind me. When I turned back around, Nora was swaying to propel the stroller.

Sadly, it worked. We had the world's shortest reenactment of the Odessa steps sequence, and Nora landed with the stroller on top of her. A workman saw it happen, helped me get her back into the stroller,and stayed with her for a minute while I threw away the poop that had also been thrown from her stroller.

I talked to the emergency vet while she had her appointment. We're keeping an eye on her, but other than some heavier panting, she doesn't seem to have suffered ill effects from it.

Today, I held onto the stroller while shutting the door. As I bent to grab the front of the stroller to carry it down the steps, she lurched. Nora was fine. The stroller landed upright on the sidewalk. I, however, managed to tweak my right ankle, both knees, and bruise my ribcage from the fall.

I have applied CBD oil as appropriate. I know the vet prescribed the valium for her, but I think it makes more sense for me at the moment.

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Whew!

2026-02-01T18:39:36Z

There are power outages in Savannah, GA. We know because there were some odd thumping sounds as our backup generator came on. We won't lose food because the refrigerator/freezer cut out like we did with Hurricane Helene.

Our backyard got just under an inch of snow. Nick won't go out in rain, but he frolicked (sic?) in the snow.

Nora is restless. She thinks she should be frolicking, too, and doesn't understand why we keep drugging her. Fortunately, her physical therapy starts on Tuesday. We're helping her stand correctly a couple of times a day and giving her legs a bit of massage. I don't know that her right leg will fully recover, but the left stands strong.

Nora rocks back and forth in the stroller because she's worked out that it will propel it. Trying to push it out to the car or to Sis's room has a degree of difficulty added by her efforts.

Stay warm everyone. If you're not used to cold, wear one more layer than you think you need and remember that gloves and ear coverings are NOT optional.

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Nora held her own weight!

2026-01-21T17:42:21Z

Just for as long as it took me to wipe and Desitin her little butt, but she is able to feel her back legs enough to help.

She's on a different antibiotic tailored to her infection. We still need keep her sleepy so that she doesn't injure herself.

Nora will have a Physical Therapy evaluation next week.

Nicky is still enjoying his morning walk, but it was cold enough this morning that when I said "home" he trotted down the middle of the street to get back to warmth faster.

We're trying to build my headboard. My new mattress and adjustable frame arrive on Friday.

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Vet again

2026-01-13T19:09:43Z

The little doggie stroller is worth its weight in gold. I used it to take Nora to the emergency vet. I have to put down the back seats to fit it in the trunk/boot, but not having to carry 30lbs of squirming dog in my arms is so helpful. We also got a second soft top loading crate. It's so much easier.

Nora has a UTI. Heavy duty antibiotics, once a day, have been added to her drug regimen. They also gave her a sanitary cut to make it easier to clean her.

I feel so guilty. I've tried to clean her bedding as soon as I realize it's needed, but it can be less obvious than you'd think.

Anyway, doggie duty is easier with top opening crates and a dog stroller.

I'm still walking Nicky at 6 a.m. as his own special treat. Sis is giving him extra cuddles, too. He still takes over Nora's guard duty, but he also naps close to her crate to protect her.

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A Little Venting

2026-01-09T12:45:04Z

I'm looking after Nora ~ 15 hours a day.

Sis, has night duty.

Nora had soaked through her heavy duty pee pads and managed to poop in her crate without Sis doing anything about it. Apparently, the bedding -- which was wet to the touch and reeked -- "looked dry."

I love Sis. She's working hard and paying most of the bills. But I offered to take Nora's crate in my room or switch bedrooms with her, and Sis said no.

Anyway, baby dog has had her morning pills. I've gotten the house ready for the cleaning ladies (I strip the beds; they make them and then they clean all surfaces. Bless them.)

ETA: I took Nora out of the crate to change her bedding. She was on a small lined doggy bed. I walked to my bathroom to dispose of things and found that she'd managed to drag herself to the front door (at least 8 feet) in that very brief time.

She's a determinator.

ETA 2: Nora's breaks for freedom are, per the vet, bad for her recovery. We're picking up a new prescription for her that should keep her docile and prevent her speeding around dragging her back legs.

Also, I know that science has yet to find the graviton, but I think they should interview Nora. She's pulling something to herself to make 30 lbs of dog feel like a Great Dane.

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Nora is home

2026-01-07T03:27:13Z

Nora's rather gnarly scar is something to behold.

At one point this morning, I thought that I had locked her crate, but she managed to get out and pinniped herself ten feet across a room. She's a determined little thing. We're getting her a smaller soft crate that we can keep in one room, so that Sis and I don't have to carry the big one from one room to another. The pet stroller, even if we only use it in the house, has already been worth it from my point of view. Getting Nora from one end of the hallway into the family room is so much easier with wheels. Carrying the big crate on my own was what convinced Sis that we needed one for her room and one for the family room.

Nicky has taken up Nora's usual spot in the window at the front of the house, barking at anyone coming up the street. It's so unlike him. When he wasn't in the front window, he was outside her crate looking in at her.

I would also like to say two things:

a) thirty pounds, low to the ground and not cooperating, is heavier than I thought.
b) I didn't expect so much poop.

My goal for tomorrow is to be able to have a shower.

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Nora update

2026-01-05T17:37:28Z

After major surgery for a ruptured disc on Friday, our intrepid 30 lb heroine is, as of this morning, beginning to get sensation back in her legs. We're going to have to help her pee for a bit. We may be able to bring her home today, but they could also try different medications to see if she can do most of it on her own.

Heavy duty pee pads and a doggy stroller were purchased for the recovery period. There will, if the recovery continues well, be physical therapy to help her get her strength back.

I will see if I can figure out how to get a picture or two up.

In the meantime, I took Nick out for a walk around the block as his own little treat. He was very happy to see her on Thursday afternoon, but he hasn't been allowed to see his sister again because she's in the surgical recovery area and not able to go into a visiting room.

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Violation of Venezuelan Sovereignty

2026-01-03T21:11:40Z

Here is a link to my statement at This Fine Crew:

https://thisfinecrew.dreamwidth.org/319169.html

If you are a U.S. Citizen, please contact your senators and representatives. If you live in a state where you expect the President's agenda to be followed, call senators and representatives in other states whom you believe will support impeachment and express your support for them.

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Happy New Year?

2026-01-01T18:22:56Z

Sis and I are back from our South American cruise. I'll write more on that later, but let it suffice that we were confined to our cabin for two days (sea days, fortunately) thanks to bad colds. I would also like to shout out LATAM airlines for having a really comfortable business class and multi-lingual stewards.

I was awakened by my sister this morning because Nora's back legs weren't working properly. She's not paralyzed, per se, but she can't walk right, can't jump at all, and was clearly in great pain. Sis took her to the emergency vet -- I carried her to the car, since Sis has a bad shoulder -- and I looked after Nicky. Nora will be at the vet overnight, have an MRI tomorrow, and, possibly surgery to help her bulging disc, which is what they think is the cause.

Not the best New Year's beginning.

Nicky is sad because his sister didn't come home with my sister. I'm sad because no one wants to see an animal in pain. And Sis is sad because she loves her dogs.

We have pet insurance, so most of the expenses should be covered, but the fact is the bill has to be paid and the insurance reimburses rather than the insurance taking it directly.

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Vacation

2025-12-14T20:23:13Z

I am waiting in the VIP lounge for my flight to Sao Paulo which connects to Rio. This is my first time south of Mexico -- and even back then we only went from Calexico to Mexicali.

We have one night in a hotel before boarding our cruise. I don't know how good my WiFi will be, so Happy Winter Gift Giving Holiday. I hope to report a bit on my travels.

I am heartbroken to read about the two mass shootings. I know my Boston friends may have friends or loved ones who are attending Brown or are alumni. It's terrible. My uncle was around for the shooting at Virginia Tech, and there are still reverberations being felt on that campus ~ 20 years later. I hope Brown finds a way to heal.

Bondi Beach is a different heartbreak. Australia did so well with gun violence in the ~ 30 years since it's last mass shooting. It must have been such a shock in a way that the U.S. just isn't shocked any more. Hurrah for the police who found and disarmed the IED that was due to go off. And the stories of help and heroism from ordinary people is touching. But, as is true of any civilian shooting incident, it should never have happened.

May the rest of 2025 be better and lead into a 2026 that's kinder.

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Well, that happened

2025-11-11T06:48:42Z

First of all, everything is fine.

About 40 minutes ago, I smelled smoke in the house. I woke my sister and we checked the whole house. We could both smell it strongly (exception the new extension, praise be), and my eyes started watering in our family room.

Sis thought we should just go back to bed, but I called 911, told them we couldn't see any smoke or flames -- and that I'd checked outside to make certain we weren't smelling a neighbor's house -- but we could smell it.

Now, Savannah rarely drops below 45F, but tonight we're having a hard freeze. So, Sis put on slippers and a fleece. I put on my winter coat, bless 14 years in Boston, and I gave her some gloves. We were inordinately happy that we'd put the dogs in their sweaters on Sunday, so we didn't need to worry too much about their being cold.

We had three fire vehicles here in under 15 minutes, possibly under 10. They went through the whole house twice. No hot spots. The conclusion is that it was the first time the heating had come on and dust or other minor detritus had singed.

I'm somewhat embarrassed, but I think I did the right thing. The firemen were all very kind.

What occurs to me now is that neither of us thought of grabbing our wallets, car keys, or the very nice little box with most of our relevant insurance and mortgage information. It is flood and fire proof. I got it for the folks the Christmas that they moved to Savannah, and it surprised me how difficult it was 5 years ago to find a box the right size that was both.

So, next time -- and I really hope there isn't one -- grab box, grab purse, maybe grab medications?

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My aching head

2025-11-06T19:59:39Z

I haven't been breathing well for a couple of weeks, but over the weekend the coughing got so much worse. Also, when your exhalation sounds like a bike tire with a slow leak, it's not good. I called my Pulmonologist on Monday afternoon, got a call Tuesday morning, and mirabile dictu got an appointment for an hour and a half later. Praise be for living within 15 minutes of two of the three major medical centers in the Savannah area. Seriously, if I felt better, I could have walked it in 20.

I'm on prednisone again. Now there are three main ways to get prednisone: a shot in the toches, a weekly plastic card with titrated pills (which I find harder to deal with when I'm sick), or a bottle of pills. Many times, it's been the shot and one form or another of pills. So the good news: it doesn't hurt to sit.

I got the second form of pills which is just easier, but all forms of prednisone give me headaches on the higher doses. I took six pills yesterday (two batches of three) and the first batch for today. My head aches. It will probably continue to ache through tomorrow which is still six pills and then ebb Saturday-Monday when it's four pills and go away completely Tuesday-Thursday when it's two pills.

*whimper

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Three more Savannah Film Festival Movies

2025-10-30T23:37:45Z

Merrily We Roll Along won several Tony awards in 2024. It also was filmed and is being released theatrically on December 5. If you like Daniel Radcliffe or Jonathan Groff or the music of Stephen Sondheim, then go see it. It's 2 hours and 25 minutes long, so use the restroom before you find your seats.

I didn't like some of the choices made. One thing I love about theater is that you get to choose where to look. The first scene of this production didn't allow that. There sounds like there's a lot going on in the background, but all we see is a close up on Jonathan Groff. Sometimes another person is in the frame with him, but the bulk of the opening section is him in medium close up responding to what's being sung or occasionally singing himself. It just didn't work for me.

Daniel Radcliffe's patter song "Franklin Shepherd, Inc." is really well done. You can tell that the character is just letting out a whole bunch of stuff that's been building and he didn't intend to do it publicly and he can't stop. It's painful, well sung, and the entire scene becomes devastating.

The years 1960, 1958, and 1957 pay off a lot of what we saw earlier in the play and later in their lives.

Hedda starring Tessa Thompson is excellent. It's not really Ibsen's play; it's more of a fanfic update of the play. Thompson's performance is amazingly good. The character is definitely chaotic, but whether the alignment is neutral or evil is up to the watcher. I don't think anyone could seriously argue for neutral good. Everything is well cast. They made one change toward the end that I think diminished the impact of the movie, but it's also been years since I read the play (on a trip to Norway when I was 20), so I may be misremembering the impact from the play. There are Ibsen plays I've seen performed, but Hedda Gabler isn't one of them.

I don't know if Hedda will have a theatrical release. I hope so because there are potential Oscar nominations if it is. I do know that it was paid for by Amazon Prime Streaming, so at some point we'll be able to see it there.

The last one we saw was a documentary called Natchez. It's an interesting one to compare the southern attitudes of the past to the way the history should be taught now. It was thoughtfully put together. It's supposed to have a theatrical release in February and will show on PBS next May.

There was also a short film shown before it called Beyond Silence. One of the lead actresses is Deaf. I was also very shocked at how much I understood. I didn't think my Dutch was that good, but from the beginning I was following the spoken parts in real time and rarely needed the subtitles. I don't know where this might be seen, but it was very well done.

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