It’s May 15, Daddy’s birthday, Happy Birthday Dad, in heaven.

This was in interesting weekend, although did nothing special but overhaul the kitchen and refrigerator, a job of a job; yesterday was the Feast of the Pentecost, and Mass was beautiful.  My singing voice seems to have returned stronger than ever, and again I stress, not that I was ever Maria Callas, and it does me good to be back at 4PM Mass in my choir perch against the wall on the St. Joseph side of the aisle.

I watched two really good movies this weekend; one yesterday after I finished housework that I really liked a lot with a character I couldn’t help but identify with in many ways.  It was, “The Gift,” from 2000 with Cate Blanchett, Greg Kinnear, Giovanni Ribisi and Keanu Reeves who this time did not render a wooden performance for a change.  I have to say that I think Cate Blanchett is one of the finest actresses around; I haven’t seen all of her movies but I enjoy everyone that’s she’s in, even old Robin Hood.  I’m glad I taped this movie because I want to watch it again.

After Mass, in a really beautiful, and then sunset, watched a guilty pleasure movie I love, the remake of “Sabrina” from 1995.  I had placed a bottle of Pinot Grigio in the freezer before I left for Mass and by the time I got home, it was divinely, perfectly chilled and just matached that movie so well–maybe it’s France and all the champagne drinking.  And I guess I love almost anything that has Harrison Ford in it, except the really wretched, “Cowboys and Aliens.”  Yuck.

But what I just finished watching and enjoyed very much was, surprise, don’t fall over, “Quills” from 2000.  There were several really good stories interwoven into this one film and although I did not feel “comforted” by watching a movie concerning the Marquis de Sade, there were several stories in here that gripped me.  For one, the love between Madeleine and the Abbe (beautifully played by Kate Winslet and Joaquin Phoenix), the evil doctor played by Michael Caine, and Geoffrey Rush who gave a whale of a performance as the Marquis, playing a degenerate in such a way you couldn’t help but like him.  So, shock, shock, shock, the Catholic Music Minister liked this movie a lot. Joaquin Phoenix broke my heart, especially from the time Madeleine SPOILER but I think you’ve probably seen it, SPOILER , Madeleine was murdered, to the end of the movie, especially the scene in the chapel.