So, we have Netflix (well, I mean, who doesn't?), and we've had the DVD of Fellini's "8-1/2" sitting here for over a month, so we've decided to watch it (finally), so we can get it out of here and move on to whatever is next on the list (probably some other foreign-language film that's going to sit around for another month). I am ashamed -- sorely and deeply ashamed -- to admit that I have never seen this movie! This, despite the fact that ANYONE who had ANY pretensions to intellectualism back in the 1960s (and, maybe, the 1970s, but my memories of that era are a weensie bit fuzzy) claimed to have seen the movie numerous times and to have understood all the bizarre allusions. In fact, at times in my life, I have felt (or so I told folks) that I was in the middle of a Fellini movie (inferring, of course, that it was 8-1/2)... Liar, liar, pants on fire...
Hey, frankly, I could just sit and listen to Italian for hours anyway. And Marcello M. was so young and so gorgeous in this movie, I am not sure I care about what the heck Fellini was trying to say (assuming, of course, that he was in fact trying to say anything, and not just having us all on). This is one heck of a weird movie. It came out in 1963... Where was I then? Ooops, I don't even want to think about that. But the hair styles and make-up in this movie do bring me back to my misspent youth. We were all terribly au courant and elegant, weren't we? Well, I was, don't know about you-all...
Speaking of Italian, I was in Fry's this afternoon, along with pretty much every high-tech geek in the general vicinity, looking for a new set of earphones for my iPod (my other pair -- a dearly beloved pair of Sony ones -- has grown legs and disappeared). For reasons that are not totally clear, earphones are located in three different parts of the store. (And, I'm sure there were other displays too, but I was running out of patience by the third needle in a haystack.)
Anyway, I found a pair that cost less than $50 (I kid you not -- $50 for little gizmos that go in your ears -- what's up with that???) and had an extension piece (which is what my missing ones had), but was contemplating which set of the three I held to buy, when I heard some fellows launch into what seemed to be an argument, behind me. However, after less than a minute, I realized that they were Italians, and were simply discussing the relative benefits of various models of earphones! God, I love to hear Italians get into it. Must be the genetic memory or some such thing. So, being the shy retiring little flower that I am, I struck up a chat with them. They are all from Milan (where my grandfather hailed from, so I seem to recall), and are here in SiliValley on business, on assignment at a large high-tech company. I told them my last name (which is a very common one in the area of Milan), and there ensued much hand-waving, shoulder-shrugging, and rolling of eyes. They were a bit miffed that I do not speak much Italian, but my girlish good looks no doubt carried the day. It was fun.
Speaking of fun, a couple of days ago, I was running an errand, and parked the car on a side street off the main drag near my destination, and as I was walking I caught sight of a sign out of the corner of my eye, which piqued my interest. The sign listed the name of the establishment as the "House of Pain"... It's a tattoo parlor! Frankly, I do not think I would (myself) patronize a tattoo salon with that name. Seems like tempting the devil to me. But I can't seem to get it out of my mind. (Perhaps I should discuss this with my therapist when I next see her...)
What else... Well, today, out of an excess of something or other, I attacked The Great Heap on the floor of the walk-in closet in our master bedroom. (I was hunting for the missing earphones.) (OK, I'm obsessing about them, so???) Anyway, I sorted and threw out and organized, and am feeling terribly virtuous. I also had one heck of a tennis lesson this morning -- the main teacher and the co-teacher ran our little butts off! And that made me feel even mor virtuous. Afterwards, I realized that I've really improved a lot, and that made me feel pretty darn good. There are usually only four ladies who show up for class (there's about 10 men), and we are generally split off into our own little sub-group. We're getting to know each other, and three of us will be getting together on Tuesday morning for a little session on our own. My spousal unit has volunteered to make a fourth, so this ought to be fun!
I never ever thought I'd be a suburban lady playing tennis on weekday mornings! Oh, if the youthful me -- dressed all in black, smoking horrid French cigarettes and thinking big thoughts -- could see the present-day me... She'd roll her eyes in disgust! Ha, what did she know, anyway...
For some reason, as I look back on each phase of my life, it seems like I've been pretty happy,in general, doing what I was doing. (OK, there were some periods when I was pretty miserable, and indulged in incredibly stupid and demeaning and self-destructive behavior, but we'll just ignore those days...) Maybe, now that I think of it, I'm the happiest now that I've ever been. Reaching 60 has EMPOWERED me (god, I hate that word, but it's pretty accurate) -- I really feel able to say "no" to people, to ignore folks who irritate me, to verbalize what I want and need (and my spousal unit is thrilled to accommodate me on many of those points), and I generally feel quite comfortable in my skin, perhaps for the first time in my life. (Aside from the skin on my neck waggling and nasty little -- big -- creases down my face and jowls that sprang out of nowhere one day...) But, I like the way I look, I am proud of what I've accomplished, I am confident of my abilities in many areas, and I think I finally am semi-convinced that The Competence Police will not show up at my house and haul me back to fifth grade to work on long division again!
OK, the more I look at this movie, I can see that really not too many episodes in my life were at all like it... Sorry, then to all the folks I annoyed with my blah-blah about Fellini-esque experiences...
The spousal unit and I went out to dinner tonight (a shameless indulgence, given that I'm not working right now) (but we did get a 20% off coupon in the local Val-Pak envelope yesterday), to a very nice local Thai restaurant. Good food, and we didn't eat too much. Now, it's getting late, the cat is lounging on the cocktail table in front of us, we're listening to the Italian burble away from the movie, the crickets or cicadas or frogs or whatever outside are chirping away, the weather is cool, and all is right with the world. I think.
I hope all of you are happy and content this evening. More tomorrow... Ciao!
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