Watching It's a Wonderful Life was one of the pieces of research I did when writing Last Christmas (I've even pinched a bit). I am currently supposed to be doing rewrites, but have hit a bit of a hitch. Given that this is probably the busiest week of my year so far (cf last post on same subject) I suppose it is fairly typical of my own wonderful life that I have managed to put my back out. I did it yesterday cleaning the wretched hoppers out (weekend too busy for the offspring to do it, grr). I have so far resisted the urge to turn Dandelion into a pie, but revenge is much on my mind at present...I managed to get to the physio yesterday who ascertained nothing more dramatic but a pulled muscle, but one which hurts enough to preclude long spells at the computer. Or sitting down anywhere. Or picking anything up. Or lying down. So I am wandering mournfully about the house wondering what the fuck to do with myself.
This is also on top of a slightly more interesting birthday party then we'd planned, as my mother in law was taken ill before it started. All well now, but we did have a couple of nasty moments on Sunday and we kept her with us till today. Unfortunately I am now so cronky I couldn't get her home, but luckily she only lives up the road, so she staggered off with her zimmer this morning, while I retired to mournful wanderings round the house. Honestly, it's like the blind leading the blind - there was she trying to help me out who was supposed to be looking after her. They've got a lot to answer for those pesky hoppers.
So in the interim, and absence of anything else I can constructively do, I propped myself up on a chair with a bag of frozen peas on my back and have just sobbed my way through It's a Wonderful Life.
I'm rather hoping mine will feel a bit more wonderful tomorrow...
5 comments:
I threw out my back but good this time last year and spent weeks retrieving it from the garbage. (I was shelving a picture book in the school library during a volunteer shift, if you must know...)
What I want to know is, how does this affect your plans to go see Hamlet and, oh gosh, are your tickets real?
It's a Wonderful Life is fine (I love the crack about Clarence having the brains of a rabbit), but my ultimate Christmas flick is Alistair Sim's turn as Ebenezer Scrooge. That's the one I get weepy over.
However bad my back is next week I am going to see Hamlet!!! Shit, hadn't seen that thing about the tickets, but I got mine through the RSC so should be ok...
Not sure I've seen Alistair Sim as Ebeneezer Scrooge... one to look out for thanks.
Tears for It's a Wonderful Life were possibly partly pain induced, but that ending is fabulous. I love it when the bank inspector reluctantly puts some money in and starts singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing and the copper rips up the arrest warrant.
Trying to work out a way tomorrow of reading and editing my ms with my laptop on my lap which won't cause me too much grief.
Oh... and a way of picking up four children from school, getting to the theatre for no 4's Christmas show and 2/3's rehearsal, meeting no 1 and friend and bringing them home before taking them to THEIR rehearsal at 7. This week was already complicated. Now it's complicated and painful...
Not seen Alaistair Sim as Scrooge???? Dear heaven, woman, rectify this at once! Some kind soul at YouTube seems to have put up a good deal, if not all, of the 1953 classic Scrooge, but I would recommend renting, nay, buying the DVD.
Last year, when I wrenched my back, I still had to walk up and down the hill twice a day (a kilometre each way) to fetch younger daughter. Fortunately, when the big snows came, this actually proved to be excellent physiotherapy. Are you following the R-I-C-E formula, (rest 20 minutes, ice twenty minutes, compress (whenever possible)- elevate (whenever possible) or exercise (moderate walking)? I swear by it; it really cuts down my recovery time.
Don't quite know how I missed Scrooge Persephone as I was brung up on black and white movies. Will try and rectify this gap in my filmic education.
And thanks for the advice, sounds very sensible. Did walk to school yesterday but it hurt like fuck, so caved into kind friend walking kids home. I walked in this morning and have just had physio and feel a bit better, but will definitely spend today doing what you suggest!
Look after yourself! And I will echo the plea for Sim as Scrooge: it a classic.
We saw IAWL at the pictures last year (or was it year before?) - what a great big screen experience. A whole cinema of happily sobbing people.
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