Happy Halloween from
Rufus!

&nbs

   I saw Ralph Fiennes new movie "The Duchess" last week and liked it, though my viewing was
marred by the fact that I couldn't hear most of the dialogue, even with
the amplified
headphones the cinema provided. I'm sure I missed a lot of nuances,
which hopefully will be clear when I see it on DVD with captions. At
first I became
frustrated at not hearing more than a word here & there, but calmed
down when I realized that I knew the basic story & could enjoy the
movie as a
purely visual experience. It's the story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire in the 1700's; her marriage, her friendships and how they collide. Evidently, the Duchess was a trendsetter in her time, along with causing scandals & dabbling in politics.
     It was a beautiful looking film: all the
pretty buildings & rooms, the fields with sheep, the pond with
swans, the dappled greys
pulling carriages, the costumes, all very pastoral. Having just watched
"Atonement", I didn't know if I could take 2 more hours of Kiera Knightly so soon,
but her character was much more likable in "The Duchess" & I felt a
lot of sympathy for her character. I even believed her as a mother,
which
surprised me. I did, however, notice that she never actually ate any of
the food set before her in the many dining scenes. We saw a lot of
Ralph chewing, but
she only swigged wine, etc.Dominic Cooper was not up to the job of
being the obsessed lover. He needs to watch a few of his costar's (Ralph)
movies to learn that.
There was no smoldering, so Cooper looked shallow, instead of smitten.
Ralph was not really a likable character, but he was multidimensional,
the lack of
dialogue hindered my complete grasp of his character. But I greatly
enjoyed seeing him interact with the handsome dogs, that was a thrill.
*sigh* 

   You could tell "The Duchess" was a European
film, because it was mostly people sitting around talking, about
relationships and Life. Had it been an American production, there
would've been a few
sword fights, carriage chases and ceramics thrown during an argument
between the Duke & Duchess, with them falling together laughing at
the end while a
snappy pop song swelled up before the credits.

  I appreciated how they told us what happened to everyone at the end.The
historical details seemed accurate as far as I could tell. The movie
had a wonderful
atmosphere, transporting us to that time & worked well as a
character study.
So for anyone wanting a quiet, slow movie about the interactions of people in pretty clothes and settings, I recommend it.

  I went to a craft show at my old high school today. Hadn't been back there since I graduated, so I was apprehensive about my response. High school was worse for me than most people, the last 2 years I was suicidally lonely. The friends I had in the first 2 years had stopped talking to me for unexplained reasons & I became invisible. No one mistreated me, but I could go through days where no one talked to me, unless it was a teacher calling on me in class. The isolation wore on me over the months & my dysfunctional family  made things worse. I had no refuge, no place of warmth. I drew and dreamed and cried.I spent hours taking long walks, trying to outrun my misery. A month before graduation I ended up in the hospital with u.colitis, which I still have. One of the theoretical causes of it is stress. It's surprising I didn't get it, or something like it, much earlier.
   So you see why I was nervous about returning to the building that held so much angst. But I dealt with it better than I thought. It was interesting to see what had changed, as there was a major remodeling done a few years ago.The main part of the building hasn't changed that much, though I noticed the classrooms are more decorated & have bookcases & computers in. One room had a giant papier-mache orca hanging from the ceiling, which I was impressed with.There's a lot more emphasis on sports now, the main hall is lined with trophy cases.The school library was closed, but through the door I could see very few books, just rows of tables with computers.Surely there are some books in there?
    The craft show was disappointing, mainly because the quality was mixed. There used to be a waiting list to be in that show, but apparently those days are gone, because there was a smattering of tables filled with manufactured goods such as Tupperware. No paintings at all, but tons of jewelry. Tons! Probably between 1/3 to half of the show was beads & jewelry. way too much. There was some nice decorative/holiday crafts, handblown glass, sewn items. If only more of the show had been to that standard, it would've been better. I bought an emboideried bookmark for myself & a tiny teddy bear sitting on a snowflake for my mom (who thought it was really cute!).
    But the main thing was putting some ghosts to rest, which I feel like I've done. It won't change the memories, but at least I know I can face them with some sort of peace and wisdom.

  
       
  Rufus loves tomatoes. I'll cut one of those small plum tomatoes in quarters & he will slurp it up as fast as he can. After a couple pieces, he has tomato juice all over his snout and chin. Sometimes the mush makes him look as gory as a lion having a zebra dinner on the African veldt. This leads to visions of mighty mater hunter, Rufus, sneaking up on unsuspecting vegetables and gobbling them up!
   I've been wanting to get a photo of him in his messy mode, but it's just not working.Posted is the best attempt, but I'll keep trying.

         
  Didn't realize it had been so long since I'd updated.But it gave you longer to admire the cute Amish guy!
  The delay was caused by a combination of things, first was doing things for my sister's birthday at the end of Sept. then i started sliding into a mild bout of the blues. When I'm feeling down, I withdraw, yet long for letters and other communications. But with me not responding, usually others stop writing too, just when I need it most.
   My mother's Borderline Personality Disorder had been flaring up, her mood swings & temper tantrums escalating wildly and the arguments & tension is exhausting when she's like that. Then the pain in my left shoulder was diagnosed as rotator cuff syndrome and I'll be taking physical therapy for it later this fall. Hopefully that will return some flexibility to it, as now I'm having problems doing simple things like getting my jacket on. Then in Sept. Rufus developed impactions, a plumbing problem which older male guinea pigs are prone to.The vet showed me how to deal with it to prevent blockage and I'm getting used to the icky factor, but neither Rufus or I like the ordeal which we do several times a week. I was painting a lot, but never seemed to get any projects finished. The nightly vacuuming continues to interrupt my sleep, leaving me with little energy to do all the shopping, errands, laundry, etc. that is part of everyday life. There are so many things I have to do, not just for me, but my non-driving mother as well, that I was feeling overhwelmed by everything. It started to get the best of me.
  But.
   Over the weekend I somehow got in a better frame of mind. Saturday I felt kinda energetic & actually got a bunch of things done. Sunday I went to a local art festival and had a great time. My sister was supposed to come too, but had a migraine, so I went alone & really enjoyed myself on a beautiful sunny day, filled with a wide variety of art, music  and flowers. It really lifted my spirits.
    There's also a couple things to look forward to: kittysitting again at the end of the week & Ralph Fiennes new movie "The Duchess" which is finally in Cleveland. Yay!