We watched Spoiler Alert  last night – one month to the day since the premiere. Don can’t stop talking about it. He really, really loves the movie and, of course, he’s my biggest fan. I have a little distance on it now and it is truly a beautiful, warm, heartbreaking and funny movie. Michael Showalter is the bee’s knees as a director. And Jim and Ben, my heavens, how wonderful they are in these roles. The thing I love about it – something Don and I have discussed a lot this morning – is that it’s a movie about life and love and heartbreak that has two central characters who just happen to be gay. It’s a healthy step forward, I think. And a necessary one.

I finally got to really see my scene. Believe me, I’m just a little blip on the screen, but the night of the premiere I was so surprised that some of my lines that I thought had been cut were back in the movie, that I didn’t really take in what I said or how I said it. So we rewound the scene a couple of times. I was an actress for many years but I was a stage actress. Film acting is very, very different. You have to pull it back, you can’t get away with the largeness of onstage acting. Don keeps going on about how real I am in the scene and how well I adapted to film acting in that scene. I listened to the director when he told me to be a bit quieter, for one thing. And I think that because I had been watching so many scenes being shot – watching Jim and Ben and Sally and Bill and their approach to the camera – that some of it rubbed off on me. Anyway – dare I say it without sounding egotistical? – I’m proud of the way it came out. It’s a pivotal moment in the film and it paves the way for the next few interactions. Of course, no one really likes the way they look onscreen, myself included, but that is beyond my control; heck, I was 69 when it was filmed.

Anyway, I will admit to a little thrill when I see it. And I will definitely admit to an even bigger thrill when I listen to Ben playing an American character. He really aced it and boy oh boy, was it a pleasure and honor to work with him.

Sigh of happiness.

I decided to pack the little putz houses away because I had been thinking of doing this. (I’ll take a distance shot soon.) We were moving the pew back to its usual home and I hesitated about placing the McCoy under it once again. So, now we’ve got this, which I’m still tweaking, but I like it. I especially like the way it cuts through the dark mahogany of the piano. Mahogany is not my favorite finish, but it was a big deal when my grandparents purchased this piano.

I finished the Herron, returned it to the library and picked up another book that had come in. We ran some errands. Don is making black-eyed peas for the new year and I found some coconut cream, so I’m going to try another batch of Linzer Tart cookies.

I’ve started Desert Star, the newest Michael Connelly. It’s like having a reunion with an old friend. He’s a wonderful writer.

Okay.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.