A Room For Rent

To lift yourself out of a miserable mood, even if you have to do it by strength of will, SHOULD BE EASY.
A characteristic movement in such a condition is to run your little finger along your eyebrows.
-Franz Kafka
"Resolutions"

SWEET SIXTEEN (U.K., 2002)
Screened: May 11, 2003
Director: Ken Loach

Loach's latest film returns him to the tough environs of Glasgow. On the eve of his 16th Birthday, Liam struggles to keep his incarcerated mother away from her drug-dealing boyfriend and father, and as he navigates his crime-ridden neighborhood, he discovers the best way out of the world he inhabits might be to dive right into it. Loach once again delivers a refreshingly funny and poignant take on working class life.

My Comments: 3 STARS

"I'll give you a cuddle."
"My batteries are running down."

What a depressing look at a working class family in Scotland. At first I thought they were all speaking another language but it was really English all "mashed together" with slang. The drugs and crimes turned us (me, Alan and Gloria) off. You can't win 'em all.

Twenty-five years ago today:

January 17, 1985
Thursday

What a "freebie" day. I went to the BART station this morning and I was not feeling up to par. In fact, I woke up at 3AM with a groggy throat and a slight cough. I happened to bump into Gordon (the Marty Feldman lookalike) on BART. We had another good chat. Gordon is still that lonely, old gentleman who lives in a mobile home in Fremont, CA with his terrier.

When I arrived to work I had a breakfast meal-on-a-muffin. Stephanie, my boss, brought in some fresh apples and I couldn't help but think 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'. I hope it works.

During my first phone call at 9AM I sold a 3-Path RCF (Remote Call Fowarding) service. And then I was able to go home at 9:30AM (without pay). That's okay. I don't do it very often and I was not feeling so great. I telephoned Chris to let him know the latest.

I was back on the BART train and at mom's to make the 11AM "Young and The Restless" episode. I enjoyed a coffee and a cinnamon roll, too.

Chris telephoned me while I was napping at 4:30PM. I picked him up at the Fruitvale BART station. We caught up on some things. He surprised me when I learned that he got dressed up in drag for last Halloween. I laughed it off. We spoke a lot about Paula, Nigel and his mom. We ate dinner at CAFE ENRICO at Harbor Bay Landing and then proceeded to lounge over at my place. We watched 'Wheel of Fortune' and looked at pictures and cards. I drove him back to the BART train and I made it back to my place to see the Ann-Margret movie, "Who Will Love My Children".

I wrote down these two lines that I heard Ann-Margret say in the film:
"The older you are, the harder it is to change."
and
"Sometimes real sad things happen and all you can do is be brave."

Paloma telephoned right after Ann-Margret's great, heartwarming motion picture. It was a sad story. Paloma and I had another good talk about the art of body building. We talked about other facets of our lives including the good time we had last weekend at Baxter's. There were no other calls tonight. My rental availability is still "on".

"Can a man surrender to only having one mate?"
-as heard while watching
"Dante's Cove" Series III