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Saturday, October 18, 2008

Happy Go Lucky Day

The sky was still very blue when I ran around the Santa Monica Airport this morning (instead of down to the beach.) Just before I'd left, the doorbell rang and two people were there to get my mom to vote for Proposition 9[8], the proposition that is attempting to overthrow the California Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage in California. I was agitated just thinking these people were at the door. When my mother said she agreed it was terrible to teach gay marriage to 2nd graders (that's what a political ad that keeps playing on the television asserts) I lost it completely. "You believe that bullshit?" They left. Fortunately, when I explained what the proposition wanted to do, my mom said she was opposed to it. But I still really needed to run.
By the time I saw this sign amongst someone's Halloween decorations - yes the people around here get excited about Halloween - I'd forgotten all about it, but was pleased to see the sign.
In the afternoon we went to the movies at Pico and Westwood. I hate parking garages, and this one was bumper-to-bumper both ways when I drove in.

Where's the Happy-Go-Lucky part, you're asking. Well, that was the name of the movie. My mom still likes movies, but she can't keep up with subtitles any more. This one seemed to get good reviews and was supposed to be an upbeat movie.

It is and it isn't. All the reviews focus on Sally Hawkin's performance. It is outstanding, but so are a number of other actors. There isn't much of a story. It's like a dozen scenes edited together. We hang out with Poppy and her friends for a couple of days in and around London. There are teachers - primary school, Flamenco (worth it alone), and driving (another incredible performance.) And there's a perfect performance by a six or seven year old kid. Everyone is outstanding. And the opening credits are shown around Poppy riding her bike.
Then dinner next door at Jaipur Indian restaurant. Just the name of the place was enough to pull me in, but they were so busy and brusque, that I figured they were not interested in knowing that'd I'd been to Jaipur. The food was ok, but not special. But it's nice to have a mom who's willing to eat strange food.

3 comments:

  1. Well, I think gay marriage is not a school topic at all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I probably wasn't clear on this. The ads make it sound like if Prop 8 fails, every second grader will be taught that gay marriage is good and that parents will have no say at all in the curriculum. There may have been a teacher in a classroom somewhere who might have talked about two men being married and raising a kid (it's legal right now in California) because one of the kids in class had two dads or two moms, but the ads are total scare tactics. Parents DO have power over their school boards and curriculum. But individuals cannot censure every possible idea they don't like. What bothered me was the ads were good enough that my mom got sucked into that part of the ad without questioning it.

    I'd suggest the No on 8 campaign address that particular issue in ads of their own.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ropi, just after I posted the previous comment, I had breakfast with my mom and saw this in the LA Times precisely about the mention of teaching school kids in the Yes on 8 ads.

    My guess on things was reasonably close.

    ReplyDelete

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