..and how Bill Murray, (such a funny, deadpan guy) as he played the part of the news reporter (details dis-remembered), had to keep living the same day over and over and over? Even though I don't recall the specifics of the movie, and precisely why/how he got stuck in that scenario. Seems like he was sort of self-centered, really egotistical in the way Will Ferrell can play an 'it's all about me' part. And he was the only one who gradually realized what was going on. He was caught in a sort of time warp where camera man and crew had to keep going out in the snow in the little (can't spell it) town in Pennsylvania to report on the progress the groundhog was making getting out of his burrow on Feb. 2. As things evolved, he gradually changed and used the experience to help the people he had been abusing, misusing and neglecting.
Or maybe not. I have not seen the movie in years. Though I am a big Bill Murray fan. Especially now that I have heard/read he does not have an agent in Hollywood. If you want to get in touch with him, to ask about giving him a job in a film, you have to call an 800 number, that goes directly to voice mail. And he may or may not check messages, and may or may not call you back. Maybe he can see the whole process of 'your people talking to me people' as silly, or perhaps just a tightwad not wanting to pay the agent a 10% cut of his earnings. But still.....
But have been thinking when it comes time for making my version of the movie I have decided what I want that day to be. Playing over and over and over. It was the day last summer when we were traveling in Washington state. My friend Ellie had been an amazing, generous, kind, considerate, available, remarkably flexible, thoughtful hostess. Making arrangements for us to stay at a lakeside cottage near Seattle which the family owned. Then chauffeuring us down the coast to her home near the WA/OR border. Where we were also fed and bedded and driven around to see the sights of Portland. The day we drove from Seattle to Ridgefield is memorable.
And my choice for the best ever. Mosey-ing along with all the time in the world. To stop and poke a toe in the icy-cold water. To take a side trip and look at the sunset on the Pacific Ocean. Astoria: hugging the shore line of the Columbia, founded as a trading post to do business with trappers and native Americans. Pretty little town, with houses hanging on the edge of steep hills, overlooking the river. Old, revitalized, refurbished brick buildings, with lush, colorful annuals growing in dozens of planters and hanging baskets along the street. Getting on the little trolley in Astoria, right on the Columbia River, that doesn't go anywhere except to the end of the line and back again - really scenic: we saw seals on a boat dock! Eating in a little micro-brewery/restaurant that offered samples for tasting various blends of local beers. Sitting on high-top stools, waiting for our food to arrive, looking out over the heads of fellow eaters, watching boat traffic on the river. All the time in the world, no deadlines, no place to be, with my favorite-est.
There are not many days in my dull life that I do not think of riding the trolley to nowhere, or sitting in that restaurant over looking the mighty Columbia, or looking at the Pacific sunset. No schedule, nothing pending (other than return tickets from Portland to Atlanta) just puttering along, observing the world.
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