Friday Night at the Movies

posted by Helen

When I was a kid, we often used to watch "Friday Night at the Movies" on TV as a family. I'm sure this depended upon the suitability of the movie for whatever age I and my siblings were, but I remember the excitement as the show opening music and graphic came up. Sometimes we made popcorn.

Last night we brought dinner and a movie to my parents' apartment and I think it's going to become a regular habit. The movie was the poignant Italian comedy "Bread and Tulips." (I liked the original title "Pane e Tulipani" so much I repeated it over and over in the car all the way home, complete with hand gestures. It's a wonder Dave didn't leave me on the curb in West Leb.)

This was actually our second Friday night movie this month. Two weeks ago we brought over the French comedy "The Valet," which was very amusing, but not as heartwarming as "Pane e Tulipani" (there I go again).

The European comedies seem to work well for us. We all need a little lightheartedness, and I think my Dad enjoys the scenery. The cast of "Pane e Tulipani" included the Swiss actor, Bruno Ganz, in one of the supporting roles. I love his face.

I'm hoping to get a couple of Swiss films eventually. In particular, I would like to see "Late Bloomers" (aka "Die Herbstzeitlosen"), which is about four older women in the Emmental region of Switzerland who turn the local corner shop into a chic lingerie store, throwing the whole community into disarray. The Emmental (apart from being the place of origin of what we commonly call "Swiss Cheese") is a very traditional farming community in the heart of Switzerland.

Unfortunately, "Late Bloomers" does not appear to be slated for video release anytime soon, but last year's Swiss film "Vitus," also featuring Bruno Ganz, is coming out next month.

Happiness is ...

posted by Helen

As anyone who was alive in the 70s knows, happiness is a warm puppy.

My 12-year-old puppy is curled up at my side right now. Now that the mornings are cooler (and I stubbornly refuse to turn on the furnace), she is more inclined to cuddle with us. This makes me happy. Never mind that if I so much as twitch a muscle, she will leap up and start petitioning for food and a walk.

For the past 6 months, I have been following the story of this guy in New York City who has been trying to make no (negative) impact on the environment for year. This means a lot of things, but chiefly he is living on the 9th floor of New York apartment building without electricity, eschewing the use of the elevator, walking or bicycling everywhere, and eating only locally grown and produced food. He also isn't buying anything new for a year. He and his family (he and his wife have one child and a dog) have been doing this for about 10 months.

This is all background because today he wrote about happiness and, essentially the role community plays in happiness. This feels true to me. The more connected we feel to the people around us, the more happy we are.