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It's Remembrance Day here in Canada. While I appreciate having a day away from the office (not from work...am working right now. OK not right now), I appreciate more the sacrifices made by those before me who've fought for my right to be a social democrat and quasi-pacifist. I am not so naïve or churlish to think that without someone exerting brute force would I have that privilege. And, were circumstances to arise that I felt obliged to do my bit, I certainly will. I very nearly felt like that after 11/09/05.

We saw Shop Girl last night: is Claire Danes the best young actress in anglophone film today? I think so, but I've been a fan since My So-Called Life. And it would've been easier if we just gave her the Oscar for her Juliet in Baz Luhrman's post-modern version of the mid-90s. Sadly find a role that allows her to show what she can do seems to be difficult. Go Claire!

It was a nice film. It had some things to say, and the performances were all very good. But the voice-over was banal, and there were entirely too many landscapes of LA the bee-ooo-tee-fullofitself. [Excluding

moroccomole and

djmrswhite of course!] Jason Schwartzman made me short out loud several times and I still think Steve Martin is brilliant and hawt.

On the walk home we discussed how a film like this--about seeking, exploring, and assessing love--can really ruin a nice evening...if there are cracks in one's relationship to be explored. There are none in ours, so it was nice to be able to say "I remember being withsome like that. And I'm not now." It was nearly 10 years between partners for me:

toneyvr and I split in late 1994 and I met

querrelle in 2003, so I also know that one can have a great life without a partner. In my case, going about having my own life is what, in fact, prepped me for having Max come into my life. Dunno if that works like that for all, but I do see a fair number of people focused on meeting someone (or anyone?), and getting very agitated in the process.

But really the point I was trying to make is how lucky I am. We are.