Elegy means...

...a song or poem expressing sorrow or lamentations.

I was far from sorrowful today. Despite the clouds and impending arrival of Hurricane Ike, I had the best day that I've had in a couple of weeks. Work has been really demanding since I returned from the end-of-summer-vacation. I was ready for a break after the first day back...

I showed up at the first hospital, looked at my patient list, checked labs, finished dictations and determined that our part was complete for all the patients on the list. I drove over to the second hospital and the only two patients on that list were both undergoing endoscopic procedures today; so, I didn't have to see either of them. I conferred with the boss and I was free! It was 12:30, and I was done for the day. That hasn't happened in quite a while.

I ate a quick lunch and headed out to go see a movie.

I chose to see Elegy, in which Ben Kingsley plays a professor who has never quite grown up. He has a habit of dating his much younger students, after grades are turned in, of course. Enter Consuela, played by Penelope Cruz. He is instantly enthralled and the two become involved. The prof has a longtime girlfriend, Patricia Clarkson, whom he continues to see while he is seeing Consuela. Dennis Hopper plays his best friend. It was really good.

I've seen two other films in theaters recently:

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (I love saying the name), starring Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Patricia Clarkson and Javier Bardem, is about two friends who decide to spend the summer in Barcelona. They meet a charismatic artist (Bardem) and they become the targets of his affections. It was good.

Brideshead Revisited is the big screen adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel about forbidden love, set in England before WWII. The martriarch of the family, Lady Marchmain, is played by Emma Thompson. She is excellent in the role. Comparisons have been to the 11-hour mini series starring Jeremy Irons. The movie has not faired well against the mini series; however, to me, it's like comparing apples to oranges. I have never seen the mini series, but despite that, I really liked the film. The characters were very complex and interesting. The story was great, the roles were well acted and the cinematography was beautiful. It is a great film.

Until next time...

MK out.