Ramblin' with Roger

Movie review: The Widow Clicquot

champagne

In the movie The Widow Clicquot, François Clicquot (Tom Sturridge) loved talking to the grapes he grew. And he loved sharing his passion with his bride, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett). But when – no spoiler – he dies, she wants to run the wine business they had started together. A woman running a complicated, fledgling, undercapitalized operation in the politically hostile environment of Napoleonic Europe? She says, of course.

Her father-in-law Phillipe (Ben Miles) is among the many men who believe she is ill-equipped for the task. She does have one ally, the wine merchant Droite (Paul Rhys), who is willing to flaunt conventions.

The story is based on a true story, as told in Tilar J. Mazzeo’s New York Times-bestselling biography. The widow Clicquot practically invented the champagne industry.

It’s well-acted, especially by the lead actress, and well-filmed. The message is inspirational. Though it’s a French production, it is in English.

Arm’s length

Yet, it seems somehow at arm’s length. Mme. Clicquot’s great success is only footnoted at the end. Indeed, the best scene in the movie is the last one, when she is brought before a tribunal designed to ascertain whether she was violating just norms but the law. Then, the 90-minute movie ends.

Beatrice Loayza wrote in the New York Times: “Ambitious as it is in scope, the film is also somewhat charmless and dour, caught between wanting to deliver the passion audiences expect from a period romance and constructing a suspenseful underdog tale. It’s too bad it never finds a winning balance.” I so wanted to like the film. I admired the elements but the concoction never came together for me.

FWIW, both critics and the audience at Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 85% positive mark. Here’s an interview with Haley Bennett, not only the star but also a producer of the film.

My wife and I saw The Widow Clicquot in late July at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany.

Rebecca Jade and the Walkers

my father’s people

After seeing the first niece at the Elmira Jazz Festival, I realized that the connections made became a reunion of Rebecca Jade and the Walkers, her ancestors on her mother’s side. But it wasn’t easy.

Rebecca performed on Friday, August 16, at the Norfolk Jazz Festival in Town Point Park in downtown Norfolk Waterfront, VA. She was supposed to take a flight from Norfolk, VA, to Scranton, PA, stay at a Scranton hotel, then drive the 120 miles (193 km)/two hours to Horseheads.

Oh, yes, the Elmira Jazz Festival is in Horseheads, NY. Why is it called Horseheads? “The name is derived from the number of bleached skulls of pack horses left behind by the Sullivan Expedition” during the American Revolutionary War in 1779.

But the time frame was too tight that night RJ, and a morning flight made the festival organizers nervous. Instead, the husband of RJ’s agent drove them to a hotel in Harrisburg, PA, where they slept for about five hours. They traveled about 500 miles over 8-plus hours to the Elmira Jazz Festival.

It was POURING in north-central Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York. My family, including my father’s cousin Ruth and her daughters, were traveling separately from the Binghamton area, which is only about 60 miles/96 km and one hour away.

But it was as bad as what Louis XV reportedly predicted after his reign. We pulled off Route 17/I-86 at the Lowman exit for about 20 minutes.

Genealogy

The gates at the festival were to open at 11:00 a.m., with local band Top Shelf playing from noon to 12:45 p.m., followed by Marcus Johnson, Ben Tankard, and Rebecca Jade in rotation. Except for Top Shelf, which started over an hour late, the schedule was wrecked. Ben Tankard was up next, followed by Rebecca Jade.

Other than her originals, the highlights of her set were the reimaged covers of Pure Imagination and I Will Survive. We got to see her after her segment, as did Ruth and her family. To my surprise, another Walker had already made contact with her.

My great-grandfather Samuel Walker (d. 1963, so I remember him) and his wife Mary Eugenia (d. 1944, before I was born) had several children. Three of those lines came to Horseheads.

Agatha’s line: I am the son of her son Les, and my daughter was there as well. Les’ elder daughter is Leslie, and her daughter is, of course, Rebecca Jade.

Vera’s line: Vera’s daughter was Patricia. Her daughter was Arlene, but I knew her only as Kitten, and she was there.

Earl’s line: Earl’s daughter is Ruth, and she was there, along with her two daughters, Jean and Jackie. My father was at Ruth’s house the day I was born, figuring out my name and initials. Ruth is the oldest living relative I have.

This is the closest thing to a Walker family reunion I had been to in decades.

Also

A guy named Jim from Binghamton was also there. We were elementary and junior high classmates at Daniel S. Dickinson for several years. Since it was his 72nd birthday, I thought I’d share his selfie with RJ.

Also, there was a raffle at the event. I won a $50 gift certificate from Ray’s Jewelers, a local business. But my handwriting is so bad that they mangled my name as Roger Grue. I hope Ray offers mail order.

That morning, I got my 600th Wordle in a row. It helped that I read WordleBot’s suggestions and compared notes afterward with my wife and my Wordle buddy Matthew. Then I played my 400th game of Quordle and moved from 98% to 99% correct. I have my longest win streak, 128 games.

Sunday Stealing: 24 easy steps

World Almanac

The premise of this week’s Sunday Stealing seems deceptively simple. Reveal yourself in 24 easy steps.

I am not bored. I’m never bored when I have any control of the agenda.

I hurt when I’m not heard.

I love looking at the section of my bookcase, seeing the array of colors and the variety of popular culture topics represented therein.

I hate that certain politicians can lie egregiously, and people believe them. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post dubbed one of these politicians Das GropenFührer, but I, of course, would NEVER sink that low.

I fear Christofascism.

I hope my daughter goes abroad more often than I did.

I regret? “Regrets, I’ve had a few. ” I have plenty, but many are buried in the recesses of my mind.

I cry over music. It doesn’t have to be sad. Indeed, it could be something that brings me joy.

I care that things seem fair. I think the Americans With Disabilities Act is a wonderful thing, for instance. So, when people obstruct sidewalks for their short-term benefit, it tends to tick me off. (The guy who parks his car to block the sidewalk on my block, making it difficult for blind or infirm people to get by, is extremely lucky I haven’t keyed his car… yet.)

No surprise

I always have music on when I write or clean. Currently, the Mamas and the Papas’ People Like Us album.

I long for more sleep.

I listen to opinions I tend to disagree with in the hope that I’ll better understand a different POV. It usually doesn’t work but I keep trying anyway.

I hide, sometimes in plain sight.

I write because I have to. There is so much information coming at me that I have to figure the world out. Writing slows down the tendency to make instant analyses.

I miss a whole lot of people: Gladys, Mike, indeed, a whole lot of folks from church, especially the choir. Richard, my FIL. Raoul, though it’s been a long time. My parents, of course. But the person I wish I could pick up the phone and call is Norman.

It’s the librarian in me.

I search for information all the time. When I was ten, it was the World Almanac and an encyclopedia.

I learn things that interest me fast, while other things bore me, such as our visits to our financial planner. It’s a MEGO experience.

I feel pain in my left knee. I need to go for physical therapy and hope it helps. Failing that, I’ll have to get a knee replacement. Ultimately, there will be two because they are both bone on bone.

I know a lot of weird stuff, such as all of the presidents by the year they took office, Bob Gibson’s ERA in 1968 (1.12), and the number of MLB career home runs hit by Willie Mays (660).

I want to be kinder to myself.

I worry about my daughter’s future. Global warming is a big reason, but not the only thing.

I wish I could fly. STILL, the most regular dream I have.

I have, generally speaking, a good capacity for listening.

I give blood. I’ve done so about 180 times because I think it’s important. I donated six times yearly for a long while, but it’s more difficult for an inexperienced phlebotomist to hit the vein correctly. When it’s done correctly, I can give it in six minutes or less.

I wait for my wife, though it’s less chronic than it used to be. Too often, she tries to squeeze in “one more thing,” which tends to make her later than SHE says some task will take.

I need to be understood. But don’t we all?

Switch

Then, after I completed the questions on Friday, they changed, so I’m answering these on the fly.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU…

1 – Handwrote a letter to a friend?

Don’t remember.

2 – Cried?

Yesterday

3 – Fell over?

A few years ago.

4 – Bought a present for someone?

Last month for my wife’s birthday.

5 – Had a pajama day?

6 – Watched a movie that you wouldn’t have gone to the cinema to see?

That is not how I operate. Except during COVID, or when I miss a film at the cinema, my default is going to the movies.

7 – Stayed up all night?

When my sister Leslie sang at Carnegie Hall.

8 – Bought something on eBay?

An Elvis Costello CD a few years ago

9 – Colored in a coloring book?

A few years ago.

10 – Told someone you love them?

Yesterday

11 – Kissed someone?

Yesterday

12 – Went to the doctors?

This week

13 – You traveled by train?

This month (Alexandria, VA to Albany/Rensselaer, NY)

14 – Screamed because you were scared?

Don’t remember

15 – Visited your hometown?

Yesterday

16 – Went on vacation?

This month

17 – Finished reading a book?

Last month

18 – Went to a church service?

Last week.

19 – Wore a hat?

Yesterday. I always wear a hat or cap.

20 – Turned off your mobile phone?

Yesterday, when I was losing power.

#1 hits of 1974 part 1

Barry White

There were 35 of them on the pop charts! That’s why this is merely the #1 hits of 1974 part 1.

When I think of 1974, I think of Watergate. Richard Nixon, the only US President to resign, did so in August 1974. The Oakland Athletics won their third straight World Series that year. Musically, disco was starting up.

The Way We Were – Barbra Streisand (Columbia), three weeks at #1, two weeks at #1 AC (adult contemporary), a platinum record, received the Grammy for Best Song. It’s from the 1973 movie of the same name starring Streisand and Robert Redford, filmed partly at Union College in Schenectady, NY, in the Albany metro.

Seasons In The Sun – Terry Jacks (Bell), three weeks at #1, one week at #1 AC, gold record, a singsongy meh tune

The Streak – Ray Stevens (Barnaby), three weeks at #1, #2 for two weeks CW (country), #12 AC, a gold record, a novelty song.

(You’re) Having My Baby – Paul Anka with Odia Coates (United Artists), three weeks at #1, #5 AC, gold record. I’m not fond of several songs on this list, but this is my least favorite.

Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas (20th Century), two weeks at #1, #1 RB in 1975, gold record.

A song for my cat

Billy, Don’t Be A Hero – Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (ABC), two weeks at #1, #20 AC, gold record. While I’m not fond of the original, I have used it to sing to my cat: “Midnight, don’t be a dipwad. Don’t make a fool of your life. Midnight, don’t be a dipwad. Stop causin’ me such strife.”

Annie’s Song– John Denver (RCA Victor), two weeks at #1, three weeks at #1 AC, #9 CW, gold record. I was sad when John and Annie split in the early 1980s.

The Loco-Motion – Grand Funk (Capitol), two weeks at #1, gold record. This is the second time this song went to #1. The first was Little Eva’s version in 1962.

TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) – MFSB with the Three Degrees (Philadelphia International), two weeks at #1 pop and AC, #1 RB, gold record. Instrumental.

I Can Help – Billy Swan (Monument), two weeks at #1 pop and CW, #6 AC, gold record. I liked the stroll delivery. This tune was used in a ServiceStar hardware store ad.

Rock Your Baby – George McCrae (T.K.), two weeks at #1 pop and RB, #19 AC—long version.

I Honestly Love You – Olivia Newton-John (MCA), two weeks at #1—the first of her five #1 hits, #1 for three weeks AC, #6 CW. It recharted in 1977 – #49 AC. A different version, with Babyface doing backing vocals, went #18 AC in 1998

A single week at #1 pop

Bennie and the Jets – Elton John (MCA), #15 RB, platinum record. This is the only song I own on vinyl, having purchased the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album some years later—the official music video.

The Joker – Steve Miller Band (Capitol), gold record. What is “the pompatus of love”?

Then Came You – Dionne Warwicke and the Spinners (Atlantic), #2 for two weeks RB, #3 AC, gold record. Dionne added an extra letter to her last name for a time for numerological reasons. I love this song.

Love’s Theme – Love Unlimited Orchestra (20th Century), #1 for two weeks AC, #10 RB, gold record. An instrumental written by Barry White that was ubiquitous. Here’s an extended version. There’s also a version with The Three Degrees on vocals.

Show and Tell – Al Wilson Rocky Road),#3 AC, #10 RB, gold record.

I have the other songs I own on the greatest hits CDs: Streisand, Denver, Newton-John, Miller, and Spinners. This is NOT the case for the rest of the 1974 #1s, which I’ll post soon.

The summer of my discontent

home improvement

What did I do this summer? When I was growing up, summer was often a school assignment in September. Even though some really good things took place, it was the summer of my discontent for too long.

The complicating factor of this season was that my wife took eight weeks off from work, mostly unpaid. It was not without some work texts showing up on her phone anyway, even though she had spent weeks preparing for the summer program.

She did not take off any substantial time in the summer of 2023. That was to her detriment and the detriment of our household in general. This summer, we took trips to Chautauqua and Washington, DC. Everything else seemed to fill up the space quickly. We needed to talk to our new financial advisor, which involved preparing documents beforehand.

There were some medical issues to deal with. Also, our cat Midnight died.

Fixing the abode

But mostly, doing some major work on our house was necessary. There have been long-standing issues that needed to be fixed, such as a deficit of lighting in certain areas of the house. I am not handy, which is one of the reasons I had never aspired to be a homeowner.

Most importantly, our back porch desperately needs to be replaced. This became even more problematic when we discovered that the company insuring our home and automobile was experiencing serious financial difficulty. We need a new company to take over the policy by the end of 2024, which will involve a home inspection.

We tried to get our back porch torn down two years ago and replaced with a nice deck. A guy came to our house. Our friends recommended him, for whom he had built a very nice deck. He took the measurements, wrote down the information, and said he’d get back to us by the middle of September. Nope. He didn’t call, so I called him thrice, but nothing. One of my old friends told me that this is a fairly common thing they experience. I found this astonishingly irritating.

Crossing fingers

So now we have contracted with someone else to do a much less rigorous task, just replacing the porch and the steps so that we can get someone to inspect our house and get a new insurance policy by the end of the year. It’s a pain in the buttocks, but we had been in contact with the contractor before we got the word about the house. So we’re crossing our fingers, our toes, and any other digits we have.

Meanwhile, we’re cleaning the house, not just the obvious mopping and vacuuming, but also moving stuff that had taken root. My wife and I have different philosophical vents, so we must do much of it together. Do we want to keep X? Where should we move Y? (She suggested moving something to my office, which is already cluttered, while she had previously indicated that she wants to put items in my office once it becomes less cluttered, which I find… counterintuitive.)

Who has time for other things?

The complicating factor for the home renovation is that it eats up the time I might have been doing something else. It was true when I said at a meeting early in the summer that I didn’t have time for a task because I was “busy;” that said task had suddenly become much more complicated than I originally understood. If I had known about the changes earlier in the process, I could have made it much easier, but it was a bit of a bait and switch. Being told, “We’re all busy,” was unhelpful.

The task became undoable and sent me into more than minor despair. I had so many things on my “to-do” list that I felt paralyzed and could do almost nothing. That, of course, didn’t help the process either. Anything that took longer than it “should” have irritated me; “I don’t have time for that!”

It interfered with my book review at the library because I couldn’t even finish the book until three days before the talk, and it ran short. I vamped, but it ticked me off.

This spiral manifested itself in binge eating, which made me gain weight and made me sadder. I looked at getting help online, most likely Better Help, but I was too conscious that it would eat further into my time. Is that irrational? Yes. What’s your point?

I feel like I’m working out of that melancholy and despair, but this was a pain in the buttocks. It had exhausted me.

This will be revisited.

(Right after I wrote this, I came across a 2021 cartoon by British illustrator Gemma Cornell on Facebook. I can’t find the specific link, but this 2017 item will do. )