Movies, movies, and more movies...

It's a little after seven on a Thursday evening, and I'm at the apartment, windows letting in a gentle breeze, and sipping on a glass of red. I'm not classy so it's not a Shiraz or a Pinot Noir or even a Merlot. It's a "blend". Which probably means a bunch of garbage grapes that couldn't go in to anything else, but it tastes great to me. Sweet, like I like it. Of course, there was a time back when I would have given the squinty eye to anyone having a glass of wine at home alone, but today, that person is me, and it's a wonderful little wind down to the week.

I have been working for the past week and half (you may know that I was let go from my former company during a restructuring) doing temp work for a staffing agency. It's only been part-time, but it goes full time beginning on Monday for a month, and while it's not the kind of work that would constitute my dream job, it is a terrific opportunity to get to know the staffers at the office, and to have an income. Plus, it was founded by and is run by strong and charismatic women, and I feel very appreciated and at home. That said, it does take some psychic energy to take in and acclimate to a new office dynamic, so this glass of "mixed red" feels well earned.

Now, why the title of "Movies, movies, and more movies..."? Well, June has always been a time for me to celebrate film, because Judy Garland was born on June 10th of 1922 and died on June 22nd of 1969. So June is for me, Judy month. And since so much of Judy's career revolved around film and television, it means that I inevitably end up watching a lot of films in June to celebrate her, and to treat myself to the filmed work of the artist I love most. And this month, TCM, in conjunction with Ball University, is offering a free online course entitled "Mad About The Musicals". I, and many in my friend group have registered, and so far it has been another wonderful reason to watch great films. In this case, these are films that I, in many cases, have not been exposed to before. Now, I'm aware that much of the motivation for the course is to drive people to TCM on Tuesdays and Thursdays when they will be showing the musicals most mentioned in the class, but so far (and we are only in day 4) it has been really educational, and it's given me a new way to work my brain muscles.

The final "Movies" in the post title, refers to the fact that Filmstruck", an online streaming service that I recently subscribed to, is featuring a collection of six films that center on the art of drag to honor Pride month. It makes me a little queasy that they chose to use drag as the entry to understanding gay culture, as I think drag as an art form has been used to limit gays, to compartmentalize us simply as men who like to dress like ladies. But, I do understand that it has also been a gentle gateway for mainstream audiences to find common ground with the gay experience (drag is after all I kind of "illusion", and audiences have always loved magic). Plus, Filmstruck focuses on classic films, and films of the past have found it more palatable to focus on drag as an aspect of gay life, than to actually look too deeply at what happens between two men in bed.

So, I plan to watch a lot of films this month, and hopefully I'll also squeeze in some time to celebrate gay Pride through actually going out into the world and socializing! Stay tuned...