Every Other Day is Fine

Dismal Falls, Giles/Bland Counties, Virginia

It’s Monday, again.

I’ll spare you the “but I’m retired memes.” But, of course I am.

Part of me feels like the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey asking “what is a weekend?”

I’m not quite up to her lifestyle, so I still know what weekends are.

And I know what Mondays are.

Today is a day of regrouping.

I realized that, with my show, with travel, and with other commitments that today is the first day since my retirement (granted it’s only been two weeks), that I don’t have to go out.

And I just might not.

Instead, it’s a day to take a breath. To regroup.

People keep asking me what I’m doing now that I’m a man of leisure.

River City Community Players
September 13-14, 20-21

My general response is that if you ever thing I’ve been, or will be, a man of leisure, then you don’t really know who I am.

My show opened over the weekend, and we have three more performances this Friday and Saturday. In spite of the fact that I’ve said this will likely be my last stage show, I signed up for an audition slot for another play.

I have two active writing projects. When they’re ready to be talked about, you know I will.

And if you haven’t looked at the calendar, we’re officially 100 days from Christmas. My season starts in about a month and a half.

It seems that other than “Going Downtown” my to do list hasn’t really changed.

Still, Mondays aren’t quite as painful as they used to be.

And that’s just fine.

Mini Review – Reagan

This is not a political post. So please, don’t be like some of my friends on Facebook and try to make it one.

My wife and I took advantage of my newly-minted retirement and our first “free” Saturday since the offspring went back to campus to have a mini date night, including dinner and a movie.

We had a nice dinner and then saw Reagan which opened last week, starring Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan.

Was it a perfect movie? Was it the best movie cinenmatically or dramatically?

No, of course not. But it’s darned good movie.

The weaving of the historical footage and document is fascinating and accurate. Dennis Quaid totally nailed his performance as Reagan.

Perhaps most significantly, if you lived through the Reagan years, this will resonate. I remember the events, I remember when he was shot, the Reykjavik summit, the speech at the Brandenburg wall. And I remember how he faded away from us after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I was a young conservative working in DC during the last of his term. There was no better time to be there. We were at the Inauguration of George H.W. Bush and watched the helicopter take the Reagans away for the last time.

The critics were never fans of Reagan, and he didn’t care. And quite frankly, neither do I.

Ronald Reagan was a pro at exposting the frauds and the hucksters, you know like the film critics and media who are panning the movie today.

Okay, so maybe that was a little political.

The movie also showed his genuine friendship with Tip O’Neill. Bitter enememies politically who fought it out during the day, but were men enough to set that aside and share a beer in the evening.

Ronald Reagan wasn’t perfect. None of our leaders ever are. But he was darned good.

If you care at all about history (even if you don’t like Reagan which, quite frankly, baffles me), it’s a movie worth seeing.

Ronald Wilson Reagan
February 2, 1911 – June 5, 2004