This is what sad is
My friend packing to leave after two incredibly wonderful and fleeting days together! After nearly 30 years apart. It doesn't seem fair! In fact -- it isn't fair. Darn it. But gosh did we have a great time, gang. I was so sad yesterday morning when I watched him driving away. I don't think he & I stopped talking once (except to go to sleep) the entire time he was here. Even when I was brushing my teeth, I had to stand out in the hallway to continue some form of conversation.
I have to tell you, gang, it's weird to reminisce with someone who recalls vividly (and fondly, thank God) all the truly great ideas I had when I was 14. Jesus. Let's just say that I took a lot of drugs back then and leave it at that. ha ha ha. After all, it was the 1970s, okay? He also remembers visiting me while I was confined to the mental hospital in 1975 -- or as he kept referring to it, "that place." He was the only one of my friends who came to visit me there. One of my teachers from school came. But nobody else besides my family came to visit me. I was in "that place" for almost 6 months. (This is the guy who took me to my Senior Prom. See one of the posts below or archived.)
Anyway, we had the most perfect day on Friday. The weather couldn't have cooperated more completely. We hung out in my sun room with the screendoor open while there was a quick thunderstorm, but then after that, it was just so incredibly beautiful. Totally blue sky. Not hot or humid. Just perfect. We hung out in my great little backyard where everything is blossoming and really, really green and we grilled out and had incredible food. Had martinis & red wine. And listened to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and Johnny Mathis and Big Band stuff. And just talked and talked and talked and talked and talked (and laughed our asses off. I think I already posted somewhere about how funny he is). 30 years is a really long stretch of time to catch up on and he has done some really remarkable (sometimes insane) stuff. And he has lived all over. There were even a few years there where we both lived in New York at the same time but didn't know it. But even that was 20 years ago already. He was married with a little boy then and now his son has graduated college.
After dinner, we sat out in those great fake Adirondack chairs that I bought recently. And we looked up at the stars, it was a perfect, clear night. And the tiki torches were lit and the little twinkly patio lights were on and the wind chimes would sound occasionally and it was wonderful and we finished the wine and we talked and laughed, literally, for 4 more hours. Gosh it was just so unbelievably great. I wish he would come back and live with me. But he has a life in Denver now.
And now, it's back to work around here. The adaptation for Twilight of the Immortal has officially begun, gang. It is going to be a lot of hard work. 560 pages of double-spaced text slaughtered down to 120 pages of screenplay. Producer-guy in L.A., though, has been incredibly kind/generous/helpful. Helping me find a way to focus on all this story here. Last evening, I practically fell face-down on the desk, you know? It is such a colossal amount of stuff here. But you gotta just get up then, walk away from the laptop, take a deep breath, look out at the trees. You know? Re-adjust and get back at it.
Right after that little face-down collapse, though, one of my girlfriends (well, actually, the only female friend I have here at this point), called me on the phone to touch base with me about something she is being generous enough to give to Gus Van Sant for me next week, and she ended the conversation with: "I'm going to write your name under my picture of Jesus, Marilyn, to remind myself to pray for you tomorrow. You know, I think I'm going to have to pray for you every day!" It was so funny the way she said it; we both laughed really hard. Mostly because it seemed like such an accurate thing to say.
Well, okay. Countdown to birthday-ville. I will be 49 on Wednesday, July 22nd -- the same day they gunned down John Dillinger after he watched a movie. I got a $50 gift card for the local AMC cineplex. I'm thinking that I might go see Public Enemies again sometime this week. We shall see. Meanwhile, have a great Sunday gang, wherever you are! Thanks for visiting & take care of your wee bonny selves! See ya.
I have to tell you, gang, it's weird to reminisce with someone who recalls vividly (and fondly, thank God) all the truly great ideas I had when I was 14. Jesus. Let's just say that I took a lot of drugs back then and leave it at that. ha ha ha. After all, it was the 1970s, okay? He also remembers visiting me while I was confined to the mental hospital in 1975 -- or as he kept referring to it, "that place." He was the only one of my friends who came to visit me there. One of my teachers from school came. But nobody else besides my family came to visit me. I was in "that place" for almost 6 months. (This is the guy who took me to my Senior Prom. See one of the posts below or archived.)
Anyway, we had the most perfect day on Friday. The weather couldn't have cooperated more completely. We hung out in my sun room with the screendoor open while there was a quick thunderstorm, but then after that, it was just so incredibly beautiful. Totally blue sky. Not hot or humid. Just perfect. We hung out in my great little backyard where everything is blossoming and really, really green and we grilled out and had incredible food. Had martinis & red wine. And listened to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and Johnny Mathis and Big Band stuff. And just talked and talked and talked and talked and talked (and laughed our asses off. I think I already posted somewhere about how funny he is). 30 years is a really long stretch of time to catch up on and he has done some really remarkable (sometimes insane) stuff. And he has lived all over. There were even a few years there where we both lived in New York at the same time but didn't know it. But even that was 20 years ago already. He was married with a little boy then and now his son has graduated college.
After dinner, we sat out in those great fake Adirondack chairs that I bought recently. And we looked up at the stars, it was a perfect, clear night. And the tiki torches were lit and the little twinkly patio lights were on and the wind chimes would sound occasionally and it was wonderful and we finished the wine and we talked and laughed, literally, for 4 more hours. Gosh it was just so unbelievably great. I wish he would come back and live with me. But he has a life in Denver now.
And now, it's back to work around here. The adaptation for Twilight of the Immortal has officially begun, gang. It is going to be a lot of hard work. 560 pages of double-spaced text slaughtered down to 120 pages of screenplay. Producer-guy in L.A., though, has been incredibly kind/generous/helpful. Helping me find a way to focus on all this story here. Last evening, I practically fell face-down on the desk, you know? It is such a colossal amount of stuff here. But you gotta just get up then, walk away from the laptop, take a deep breath, look out at the trees. You know? Re-adjust and get back at it.
Right after that little face-down collapse, though, one of my girlfriends (well, actually, the only female friend I have here at this point), called me on the phone to touch base with me about something she is being generous enough to give to Gus Van Sant for me next week, and she ended the conversation with: "I'm going to write your name under my picture of Jesus, Marilyn, to remind myself to pray for you tomorrow. You know, I think I'm going to have to pray for you every day!" It was so funny the way she said it; we both laughed really hard. Mostly because it seemed like such an accurate thing to say.
Well, okay. Countdown to birthday-ville. I will be 49 on Wednesday, July 22nd -- the same day they gunned down John Dillinger after he watched a movie. I got a $50 gift card for the local AMC cineplex. I'm thinking that I might go see Public Enemies again sometime this week. We shall see. Meanwhile, have a great Sunday gang, wherever you are! Thanks for visiting & take care of your wee bonny selves! See ya.
Comments