Day 53: Watch It Again, Son

As I try to rise to a state of semi-consistent happiness (which, according to most national polls, is considered "being normal) there are times throughout the day, of course, in which I do feel momentarily happy. Last night is a great example. First, I should mention that last father's day my boys got me a book called "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die." Much like those AFI "100 Best" lists, it's the sort of thing that's frustrating both for some of the films it includes ("The Passion Of The Christ") as well as for many of the films it doesn't include ("The 39 Steps," "Key Largo," "Only The Truth Is Funny," etc. etc.).

Anyway, every week my boys and I have been watching one of the movies listed in this book. So far we've seen "On The Waterfront," "Tootsie," "Annie Hall," "The Apartment," "The Shining" and "Rain Man" just to name a few. Last night we watched one of the movies that should have been on the list but wasn't -- the funniest of all of Woody Allen's films, "Play It Again, Sam." I can't tell you how tickled I was as my sons laughed at Woody's bumbling manner, and all of his great classic jokes ("Another woman was raped in Oakland yesterday..." "I was nowhere near Oakland!")

For some reason I love thinking that I'm exposing them to movies that most of their peers have not only never seen, but probably never will see. And I just love sitting there with them as they get to experience one of my favorite movies, for the very first time.