07 June 2010
Today I finished watching the movie The Naked Spur. I’ve been meaning to watch more westerns (there’s a serious lack of them on my list of watched movies), and so I put this one on my queue some time ago. Despite its unfortunate title, I had high hopes: it stars both Jimmy Stewart and Janet Leigh, two people who, thanks to Alfred Hitchcock, star in some of my all-time favorite films.
It actually was a pretty decent movie. Stewart plays a lawman who’s on the trail of a murderer. He corners the ‘bad guy’ on a rocky outcrop, but can’t seem to scale the peak while dodging bullets. He recruits the assistance of an old down-on-his-luck prospector and, eventually, a discharged army officer. They do manage to capture the bad guy, who happens to be accompanied by Janet Leigh, but that’s just the first fifteen minutes of the movie. Suddenly, new information is revealed, and we see Stewart in a new light. It’s the remaining hour-plus that depicts the unraveling of the fivesomes relationships.
I watched about half of this movie last week, then finished it up today. I had the intervening few days to consider how I thought it was going to end. Do all five people make it safely back to town? Is the bad hanged for his crimes? I worked out how I thought the ending would proceed, and it turns out I was right on the money. Actually, I didn’t correctly predict the final minute of the movie, which I think was pretty lousy, actually. But I did correctly guess what would happen to all the players.
Anyway, it’s worth a watch. If you ever do see it, let me know. We’ll talk.
08 June 2010
Today my son graduated from preschool!
On the way to class, Owen asked us to play “It’s Alright to Cry” for him. After dropping him off at school at 9:00 this morning, Jennifer and I hung out in the area for a couple of hours, then returned at 11:00 for the ceremony. Owen was dressed in a cap (complete with tassel) and gown. He and his classmates were waiting out in the hall as the parents, siblings and others gathered in the classroom and sat on crazy-low chairs.
Once the music began playing, the students marched in and sat in a row of chairs facing the adults. Owen sat on the very left, nearest the teacher. She first welcomed us all, and thanked us for giving her the opportunity to teach the children and help prepare them for Kindergarten.
The kids sang four songs for the audience, which were titled (according to the program): “Slippery Fish,” “The Car Song,” “The Pumpkin Song,” and “Mr. Sun.” There were only four students at the graduation, so the songs were quiet, especially since Owen never opened his mouth the entire time. He did, however, perform all the gestures for each song.
After the performances, the teacher called each student up to receive their diploma. Owen was called first, and he hugged his teacher, then walked over and hugged the other teacher, then sat back in his chair. Once all the diplomas were passed out, the teacher announced that the students were now graduated, and she and the students said “let’s eat!” There was juice and delicious cookies for everyone. We took pictures and video.
Owen was privileged to have all three of his grandmas present: my mom, Jennifer’s mom, and Jennifer’s grandma all came. It’s a good thing, too, because we had plenty to carry out: besides the cameras and Owen’s cap, there were also a couple of art projects to take home, Owen’s name plate that had been on his locker, a large gift basket from the teacher (the basket was pink – how thoughtful of her!), a smaller gift package from the school, a framed picture of Owen in his cap and gown (that I assume the teacher took last week and then had framed and waiting for us), the diploma, the program, and a sheet with pictures of the students printed on it, that was signed by both of the teachers, and included this quote from Pooh’s Grand Adventures:
“After lots of adventures, Christopher Robin said to Pooh, ‘Always remember you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.'”
I will hang this up in Owen’s room, so he can remember his year and a half in that preschool and think about that quote. He made great strides in that class – a class where he didn’t even want to be dropped off at first, and that was so expensive we had to finagle a scholarship, and that we almost didn’t return to in September due to its location – and I am proud of him. It’s not often someone in our family graduates from something…so I’m glad we go this chance to celebrate this big accomplishment.