Mallory's Camera

Thanksgiving was extremely pleasant!

In the morning, I participated in an extended T______ family Zoom, connecting far-flung relatives in places like New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and—ulp!—the Republic of Georgia. (Bruce Shoe and my Ichabod, the California family contingent, were no-shows for various reasons.)

I was touched to be included, these being relatives twice removed from me through both the dissolution of my relationship with Ben and Ben’s death.

The amazing thing is that these people are all related to Ben by blood and upbringing but are not sociopaths!

So how did Ben end up becoming a sociopath?

It is The Great Mystery.

RTT looked really ill. His face is all swollen up! Some kind of massive sinus infection, I’m thinking. I was wondering whether I should drive up to Ithaca—not that I could do anything for RTT in Ithaca, of course, since I can’t go near him: I haven’t had Covid. But proximity to the Mommy Force! Always healing.

Then Lew very kindly PM-ed me that Mollie S_______ was keeping an eye on him. Mollie S_______ lives in Ithaca. And she just got over COVID—so I’m super-immune, she texted me. She loves RTT—who doesn’t love RTT?—and I texted her, If you need money for anything, trips to a doctor, groceries, ANYTHING, please let me know!

Realistically speaking? That’s the best I can do.

###

Then I took off for BB and Flavia’s Catskills eyrie.

BB is a terrific cook. His turkey and stuffing were some of the best I’ve ever had, and there was a magnificent squash dish and braised broccolini, and a fabulous cranberry tart.

We gabbed and gabbed and then watched 12 Monkeys. I’ve seen 12 Monkeys probably a dozen times. It begins and ends with the same shot, the luminous blue eyes of a kid watching events he can’t possibly understand but that will haunt him till the end of his life—which is the event he can’t possibly understand.



The shot never fails to make me weep.

Last night was the first time I’d ever seen the movie in HD, though. And I must say, it was almost like watching a different movie: HD removes that cinematic scrim somehow, makes everything look like a home movie. Reduces the distance. I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing for a film like 12 Monkeys.

###

Drove back home early this morning through a dull drizzle. Driving through the Catskills is always an adventure in geographic dislocation since the Catskills look exactly like what I imagine the Appalachians look like:



But in the rain, it also feels like chronological displacement, like you’ve somehow traveled back in time to the Great Depression.

###

And now, I must Remunerate!

I haven’t done any paying work since Monday and must get on the stick.