Goodbye Mr. Chips

I saw this movie when I was a kid. I remember seeing it at the Metro theater in San Juan. And I recall being bored to tears. 40 years later I absolutely loved this movie. It made me realize what a great actor Peter O'Toole is. He was a young man when he made this and he aged 40 years in the movie and he manages not only to look older, but to act so incredibly well. You believe he is an old man. The story about a strict school professor who becomes a better person through the love of a woman is kind of predictable, but it is truly irresistible.

The little kid may have hated this movie. But the middle age man loves it. Get it on DVD!

Free Summer afternoons, "yeah, right"

The agency that I worked at has a policy of working on Summer Fridays until 1pm. I wish they didn't. Because it's a joke. Our clients are a disorganized, chaotic, inept bunch. So it's impossible to go home early. In fact, this policy ruins my Fridays because I am constantly thinking that "maybe this Friday" I will be able to go home and spend an afternoon at the beach. And just when it seems it will happen, some jerk forgot about an ad and it's a rush job, and there goes my Friday afternoon.
So I beg the people at the agency to stop this nonsense. Creating false expectations is cruel. It's awful.

less time online

I am realizing I am spending way too much time online. And what bothers me is that I am spending too much time online, wasting time. I barely write on this blog which is a kind of creative use of the net. No, I am watching stupid videos and visiting stupid sites. So I am making a bow to cutting my online time at home to less than 30 minutes a day. I want to go back to reading books, watching movies, going out for walks, seeing friends. So I make a bow of less than 30 minutes online a day. I will probably not keep it, but I am giving it a shot.

Almost disaster

Today while leaving for lunch I almost had a terrible traffic accident. A truck that was sitting by highway decided to get into the highway just as I was passing by. It was so close to being a disaster. I got incredibly mad at the driver and proceeded to go to lunch. Then as I was sitting there eating my sandwich, it struck me just how close I came to injury. For close to 30 seconds, I lost it. I closed my eyes with a mixture of anger and terror but with a realization of just how plain lucky I was. I could have been in a hospital. I could have been dead. But there I was, having my lunch. I am not a religious man, but just in case, I thanked God for being there.

Valerie

I find it interesting that the article that consistently gets hits on my blog is the one I wrote about obscure French actress Valerie Quennessen. It seems there are a lot of people who were struck by her beauty and charm in the very few movies she made before her death in 1989. My favorite has always been "French Postcards", a movie about American students spending a year of college in Paris. This is the movie that shows her at her best. You have to fall in love with her in this one. As she seduces the American student. she is seducing every viewer. She also made an awful, although some consider it a guilty pleasure, called "Summer Lovers" She spends most of the movie nude, so I can't say I hate it. Then she retired and died in a traffic accident 7 years later.
Gone, but not forgotten. At least by the people who visit my blog.