Brand New Thursday!

I just went over to the Le Beau across the street for a little grocery shopping. When I went in I looked around and saw the place was more crowded than usual, and then I started to reach for a red plastic basket (which would hold my items to purchase), and a young woman had already started reaching for one and she looked up and said "Sorry!" and I said, "That's okay."

Then when we were checking out she got in line behind me. I took out my wallet and noticed a film ticket stub and took it out and started folding it. She said, "What movie did you see?" and I said, "Billy Elliot."

"Ooohhhh," she said, "I heard that was GREAT! How was it?"

"It was good. It was, ummmmmm... touching."

She then said, "YEAHHHH, that's what I heard!"

She is one of those excited women who can get real excited about stuff. She wasn't bad looking. I'm okay with those excited women types as long as they can get excited about the fact that I don't get excited about things.

On the way out another young woman was walking her dog. I looked at her, and she smiled, and then I smiled.

Another positive day of Communicating with Strangers.

Recent Events

Well, I spent all last week trying to get that particular girl/woman from southern California to fall in love with me. Things don't look too good there. She says stuff like "Ted, get a handle" and "I am extremely flattered, but". (And she's got a long list of "buts".) I then counter with something like "but you so pretty", or "I am the best. There is no reason for you not to want me that makes any sense!" or "Are you in love with me yet? It's already 2:30."

Last Wednesday, during my birthday week, my dear friends (Genevieve, John, Jenny, Zev, Ashley, Amy and Cobb) took me out to dinner. We met at a place, the name I forget, I think it was on Mission near 20th. Italian. I had lasagna.

Friday I went out on a "blind date"! I cannot say anything at all about it. For reasons of privacy in re people involved. I can say that we went to Bruno's, then some other bar then Mel's Drive-In. Saturday some of the gang and I went over to Shane's to admire his brand new couch. It is sort of purple, but Shane preferred to call it "Merlot". Then we walked many, many blocks to a bar and then a club thing. It was me and Shane and Stephanie and Shane's two roommates and another guy, and Ken and Deb and Estahl and three other girls.

Last Night's Movie

Ring-a-ding-ding.

I just saw one of the best films of the year! The sadness of this statement is that the film is the rerelease of the 1955 French gangster classic Rififi.

Jean Servais plays Tony le Stephanois. He gets out of a five year stretch in prison and sets up a new heist with his brother and two other guys (one of them played by Jules Dassin who directed this film).

The actual heist scene runs at least 20 minutes, maybe 30, there is no dialog and it is probably the best scene of its type I have ever scene. Great gangster stuff a la Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player and, dare I say, Le Samourai.

Dassin directed, among others, Brute Force (1947), The Naked City (1948), Thieves' Highway (1949), and Night and the City (1950) before being blacklisted by HUAC in the early 50s. He went and made movies in Europe including this one and Topkapi.

Good stories in re: Rififi and/or Dassin:

Salon

Film Forum

I ran into Tim's friend Erica again at the Castro last week at Requiem for a Heavyweight. She was working the box office today and let me in free! As I was leaving I saw the girl with the freckles who looks like Gwyneth Paltrow come in. I hadn't seen her in a while and was glad to see she's still there. Then I thought that next time I see Erica I'll ask her about this Gwyneth Paltrow girl. Eh?

Right Now

I have too many CD's. I cannot sustain a mood because I can't keep something on long enough. I have Dreamweaver class tomorrow (Monday) night. I am going to New York City in mid December. Hope to see you there!

Mid-November Tales, "Shoes III", is here.

Trip to Los Angeles Story, "Birthday: Shoes Pt II", is here.

American Rag San Francisco story, "Shoes", is here.