Outside temperature: 98 Degrees F.

Well, 98 is better than 101.

Ok, so Annette has returned to The Bronx. She opted to take the overnight flight from SLC to JFK, departing around midnight and arriving about 6 am. She reports the AirTrain to Jamaica operated flawlessly and she was at her desk before 8 am. See, unlike me she can actually sleep on airplanes, so it wasn’t quite as bad as the facts may suggest.

It was a very good visit, but it has reminded me this situation is short-term at best. Bogart correctly observed that the problems of two people “don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world,” but that does not diminish the fact that i miss my wife and that work, while important, is not what we’re living for. It’s close, but it’s not the reason i continue to exist.

Ratatouille: Another achievement to add to the Pixar body of work. Honestly, i can’t decide if working as an animator for Pixar would be wonderful or horrible. I mean, anybody who thinks computer animation is somehow a matter of pushing a few buttons and watching while the computer does all the work needs to spend some time with even the consumer versions of CG software. It is an enormous amount of work. I’m surprised we don’t hear more about carpal-tunnel syndrome coming out of Pixar’s factory.

Anyway we caught the movie at this odd theatre along State street. Yeah, it’s a strip mall, but the good part is we nearly had the auditorium to ourselves. While there are times when a full house can really add to the experience i must say i was glad to have only a smattering of kids and a few older folks. I can say that Pixar now has water 100%. They still need to work on fire, but i’m guessing they already know that.

And finally, what the hell is up with Bergman AND Antonioni both dying on the same day? I mean, what are the odds? Quick, somebody put in a call to Bertolucci and Goddard; tell them not to try skydiving for a while longer.