Monday
This day has to be near the top of the charts. Enjoyed my classes, especially the ones I spent at Village Inn with a couple of mythadorks and assorted personages. Plus the read-through for the play, covering my bits. A small part, but me and my cockroaches will get big laughs.
I felt bad about leaving Cara to hang lamps. But it was worth it. Eric walked up to me after school and asked if I wanted to go to a screening of Live From Baghdad. I was hesitant, because it would mean leaving Cara and Stuart together to do... well, does the last half of that sentence really matter? Fortunately, they both seemed to get over it right after I broached the possibility. I was damned impressed with them.
And I was so happy with Baghdad. Eric and I went down to Spy Hop, and from there to Trolly Corners for the film. I nearly got killed by riding in an SUV without seatbelts. Awful car.
Anyhoodles, we got to the theater, and it turns out there's a "bit of a reception" at Tucci's beforehand. We get there, and the place is packed. I bumped into Jodi from the library and we talked about the new main branch. That was fun. Then the guy with the SUV mentions that Eric is talking to the screenwriter.
"What screenwriter?"
"The guy who wrote the movie."
"What, the movie we're going to see?"
"Yes. And never complain about my car or threaten to kill my entire family again."
Yeah, that was tactless. But the point was, I went to talk with Richard Chapman, the screenwriter for Live From Baghdad. But before I should get there, I end up listening to Rocky talking with some guy.
Yeah, that Rocky. And he's talking with is Ambassador Joe Wilson, the former ambassador to Iraq and the last man to leave the embassy in Baghdad before the 1991 Gulf War. He talked a bit about exile; in short, he doesn't think Saddam will leave Iraq. A pity we don't have an easy out like exile, but I think he's right about Saddam.
I didn't get a chance to talk with this Chapman chap before the movie starts, but I figure, the Mayor and the Ambassador are good conversation partners.
The movie was really quite good. I expect it's easy to get carried away by a crowd whose enthusiastic about a movie, and Baghdad wasn't a monumental artistic work.
What it was, though, was well-told. My father is fond of saying that a movie director is a story-teller, descended from the first humans, huddled around a camp fire, talking. Baghdad creates several interesting characters, drops them into a realistic situation (especially for those with a good memory) and tells us what happens, all with skill and poise.
Some movies do more than that, but that sort of lightning in a bottle is pure luck.
So, the movies over and there's Q&A session. Most of the talking is done by Ambassador Wilson and Robert Weiner, the producer for the CNN team in Baghdad during the Gulf War. Weiner was played by Micheal Keaton in the film; Keaton was on the guest list, but didn't show.
The ambassador gave a stirring speech rebuking Bush's justification for an invasion in the State of the Union. His centerpiece was the problems arising from an occupation of Iraq, in their incredible scope and magnitude.
Mind you, that's conventional wisdom among the left. But it's easy to dismiss me as an unAmerican, revolutionary hack. But a former Ambassador with unparalled experience in Iraq, a man who met personally with Saddam Hussien to negotiate before the first war, a man who was in Baghdad right up until the invasion - well, that's harder to explain.
After the Q&A, which turned into a soapbox for Weiner and Wilson, I got to talk with Richard Chapman. Turns out he totally approved of the political discussion this has sparked. His only complaint was that not enough people will see the movie for it to signifigantly affect discourse on Iraq in this country. Now he was a superbly cool person.
Then, I got to talk with the Mayor again, and even make a point about corporate influence in the news media. And he said some very flattering things about City Weekly. Excellent.
I had to take the bus home, which was OK. I met a very nice girl from Highland at the stop. She was hitting on me; I gave her my number. I must admit, the prospect is a little bit tempting. What is this thing all the straight guys are raving about?
After all, she is smart, funny, and good-looking. Plus, she doesn't know me. If I do date her, I won't have to see her every day after it hits the skids. I could never use one of the smart, funny, and good-looking girls I know just to satisfy some latent curiosity. But with Melissa...
Then again, it would just be to satisfy my curiosity. There'd be nothing genuine in it. At least with casual sex, there's a mutual aknowledgement of innate physical attraction. Every bit of physical attraction I've ever had toward a woman has felt, well - fake. Something pasted on by a childhood dominated by Disney movies and Sesame Street, all lying to me about love and sex.
But no point turning this into a rant against, in the words of Russell T. Davies, "the fasicst heterosexual orthodoxy." Let's focus on me here.
And I had a good day.
posted by J'myle 10:42 PM
Personal Log, 15020.3 -
I worked again yesterday. The new office is nice, but it'll take a while for me to find the good food. Ah, well - nothing like a challenge with motivation. Oh, and Kingpin premiered yesterday. Not exactly an original concept, but it looks like they have some good writers and I like the six episode arc format. Whoot.
I'm not working enough; all my time this week - like every single day - is going to the Dance Concert. Grr.
posted by J'myle 11:45 AM
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