While in bed, I finished this mitt that I’d started yesterday at work. The pattern is free from one of the yarn companies and the yarn is a self-striping sock yarn. M pointed out that I made a similar pair last year, but I don’t care, all I see are the differences. (And how often is that a good thing?)

Since I can’t sit and knit in silence, I watched the first season of Noah’s Arc. I admit, that’s a lot of watching, but I finished the first mitt, started the second, and worked on a little shawl. So it was productive. Not that it had to be.

In Summer Storm, Tobi is the star of the local rowing club. He and teammate Achim are constant companions in the way only teenagers can be. Achim is interested in one of the girls in the club, and her best friend is interested in Tobi. Tobi, of course, is interested in Achim. When Tobi makes his feelings known to Achim, he’s disappointed to learn they aren’t shared, and they struggle to come to terms with one another.

Sounds like your typical coming-out/coming-of-age story. But when they go the the summer rowing camp for regional competition, one of the opposing teams consists solely of young out gay men. The boys on Tobi and Achim’s team aren’t comfortable with the gay team, but there’s no hatred or violence. After Tobi is rebuffed by Achim, he finds comfort and friendship with the boys on the gay team.

This is where Summer Storm distinguishes itself from other similar films. Coming out is still difficult, growing up is still difficult, but there is more readily available support than in the past. A difference that was great to see.

M and I have continued to go to yoga. Four classes for me and three for M. Each class feels harder than the last, which I don’t understand. The basics class is on Tuesdays and the level one class is on Thursdays. I thought I should just stick with basic classes for a while until I’m more comfortable with the positions and a little more flexible. M thinks the Thursday class is a good motivator. I’ll try it his way for a while. We purchased another 20 classes for each of us and plan to keep going twice a week.

This morning a shop owner I know in Michigan friended me on FB. I confirmed and went to my homepage, only to read a post by his partner that he’s no longer a part of the shop. I went to his new blog and read that he is in fact now living alone with the dogs and without a job. I only know them from trade shows and not very well at that, and yet, I felt so sad. I started to write a comment on the FB post, but I felt strange. Maybe later.

I’m supposed to be reading the Buchanan biography. It’s not easy to just pick up and jump into; I need to be in the right frame of mind. So instead, I’ve been reading more of The Passion by Jeanette Winterston. I’ve read it before and it’s just as good the second time.

One of the phrases she repeats is “You play, you win. You play, you lose. You play.” I love and think it would make a great tattoo. Speaking of which, it looks like the Ultraman symbol is a go. M is so odd about the whole thing. He doesn’t like any idea that I have, but he won’t offer any himself. I feel like I have no other choice but to proceed.

For my shoulder, I leaning towards the Moulin Rouge moon with ribbon and inscribing it with “The heart has reasons that reason cannot know” in French. Though yesterday, Laura showed me a painting of her friends that I really like.

So this is really a one topic per paragraph update. Thank goodness I don’t want to be a writer. I wouldn’t be much good.
[I just re-read this and realized that I should've said about my writing that I would need a lot of practice. Gotta stop being so critical of myself.]

As leading men get older, it gets harder to find them believable as action heros. It’s one thing to believe that they’re smart, but another to be convinced they can take out a room full of armed men. This was the case with Taken. Liam Neeson is tall and tough, but his face shows his age.

Neeson’s physical prowess is really the least of what you need to accept in Taken, the story of a man’s effort to retrieve his kidnapped daughter. The whole story is wildly unbelievable, but consistently so, which somehow makes it easier for me to suspend by disbelief. I just give in and accept everything.

Given that, the movie was suspenseful and thrilling. I wanted Neeson’s character to be smart and tough, and that’s exactly what he was. Exciting fight scenes and tense dialogue – Taken was entertaining.

I was up at 7, of course. I had coffee and finished watching Mulligans. I got back in bed to read around 9 and promptly fell asleep. The remarkable part is that I didn’t wake up until 11 – I never sleep that late – and we didn’t get out of bed until noon.

I was starving, so we threw on clothes and headed to Ants Pants. The line reached to the door, which I should’ve expected. Because I hate to wait, I convinced M to walk to Marathon. It was crowded there too, but they seated us right away. The food really isn’t so great. It came quickly though.

When we got home, I showered and we sat together reading. Well, I was reading and M was playing Sudoku. I’m reading a biography of James Buchanan that’s part of the American Presidents Series. I knew he was generally regarded as one of our worst presidents, but the biographer can barely conceal her contempt for him. A little more fact and a little less commentary would be better.

After a bit, we moved to the TV and watched Taken. It was only 5, but I was hungry again, so we went to Parc and had an excellent meal.

We walked home and spent the rest of the evening with more reading and TV. It was a relaxed, low-activity, absolutely great day off.

Mulligans is a film about second chances. The title comes from golf where a mulligan is a do-over. Tyler brings his friend Chase to stay with his family at their vacation house on summer break from college. Tyler’s father Nathan, mother Stacey and sister Birdie welcome Chase into their home and their lives. One of them makes a mistake that affects them all – how they view themselves and each other.

I like that producer/screenwriter Charlie David (he also plays the role of Chase) wants to examine life at different stages and the intricacies of relationships. I don’t think the word “mistake” is used appropriately because it diminishes the import of what occurs. And I don’t think he goes deep enough into the conflict. It’s not a silly everything-is-right-in-the-world ending, but it’s close. David created some good characters, though, that I would like to see more of.

Last night I made some real progress on the tattoo designing front. For the cover up on my ankle, the windmill from Moulin Rouge with tiny stars and a quarter moon above and the words “truth, beauty, freedom, love” below. I need to email this to the tattoo artist and see what he thinks.

For the left shoulder, a JMcC original consisting of his signature multi colored circles and architectural rendering background. Hopefully, he’s working out the details. For the right shoulder or for somewhere, a quote from Pascal – The heart has reasons that reason cannot know – perhaps in the original French – Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne peut pas savoir. This could be in a curly script and gilt frame – a la Louis Quatorze – or along a banner of some kind. To be determined.

I don’t think M really likes any of them. I suggested we get tattoos that connect or relate to one another. He said he’d have to think about it.

Speaking of what M does and doesn’t like, I didn’t go with him and his mom to see the “brother” in NJ. Every time we go, I move from one awkward conversation to another because I have nothing to say to anyone. When he first told me about the plans, I said I didn’t want to go. Then I came home tonight in a bad mood (I paid bills today) and definitely didn’t want to go. He didn’t pester me, but I could see he was unhappy. He wouldn’t really talk to me before they left. Between him and my Mom, who stopped in to see me today, it’s a lot of living up to expectations.

Incidentally, Mom went on a short riff about how awful tattoos are when she was in. She saw young Eliz who apparently has two short sleeves. Just what I want.

So with guilt’s light touch on my shoulders, I’m home tonight planning tattoos, and learning to be independent as I approach 40.

I was stunned and so sad. I went to Facebook looking for more info, but didn’t see anything. A few hours later, someone posted that Gene had inhaled a lot of debris from 9-11 (he’d lived nearby) and had suffered from respiratory problems since. When he didn’t come to work, the police were called. Gene was dead when they arrived, it was later determined due to respiratory failure.

I hadn’t seen Gene since our freshman year of college. In the 6 years of high school that we attended together, we were close at times, but would argue and then drift away from one another. A few years ago, I searched for him online and found him through the real estate agency where he worked. I thought of getting in touch, but didn’t. I wish I had.

As with the deaths of other young people – Howard, Scott, Patty – it just makes me realize how fragile and precious life is. You need to live every day.

And on that note, I pleased to report that M and I took our first yoga class last night. I was told the class was a good first yoga class, but it was really beginners and advanced beginners. The instructor moved quickly and without my glasses, with sweat running into my eyes, and trying to hold odd positions, it was hard at times to understand what to do. She came around the room often, though, and would correct me if I needed it. I’m sure that the more you do it, the more you understand and get from it. Now, I just need to go back.

I’ve seen some good movies on vacation. Sunshine Cleaning (not the comedy I thought it would be, but very good), The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Dorian Blues (great!), and Almost Normal (eh). M and I saw the film Adam in the theater. Again, I thought it was more of a comedy, but it just had a few comic moments. M didn’t like it, but I did.

There was a special feature on The Mysteries of Pittsburgh dvd, an interview with the author Michael Chabon and screenwriter/director Rawson Marshall Thurber. I’ve read other books by Chabon has written, but never this one. Thurber spoke so passionately about the book that I bought it. I have to say it’s completely drawn me in. They had to cut a lot to make the film and they changed much of the story, so reading the book is very different.

It’s another beautiful day – sunny and warm. I might have lunch in the park and read some more. Or I might read at home. We’ll see.

I finished a vest and I bought some books. That’s a good start, however, I need to knit one project at a time and read one book at a time. Period. The goal is to be focused. I’ve been doing a little of a lot of things. Now I want to do more of a few things. And they are:

1. knit myself one thing at a time
2. read one book at a time
3. write/blog several times a week
4. take a yoga class once a week
5. pack lunch and cook dinner every day

Doesn’t sound like much, but knowing myself as I do, it’s a lot. And I can do it.