Hodge and Podge

I've been trying to figure out what I feel about Heath Ledger's untimely death. The easy answer is sorrow for his daughter and Michelle Williams. A part of me feels tired, tired of young people with so much promise dying for no reason--at least, no reason that makes sense. Yet another part of me knows that, as with the death of River Phoenix, I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when I learned of this death. Simply put, I believe he was a great actor whose ultimate promise will now never be known, and by all accounts, he was a devoted father. What a loss.

Last night, I found myself turning to "The Station Agent." Perhaps it was the Michelle Williams connection (she plays a librarian in the movie), or perhaps not. Each movie I love, and I do love this movie, fills a particular need in me. "Jerry McGuire" is the movie I turn to when I'm feeling unappreciated in my career. "The West Wing" (admittedly, a TV series, not a movie) is for when I'm lonely or dreaming of a more stimulating career. "The Philadelphia Story" is simply comforting, transporting me to a time years ago when it was possible to have a romance with Cary Grant. It's funny . . . I never realized the consistency of those themes--of wishing for something better--until I wrote this paragraph just now.

Anyway, I'm not sure I have anything more uplifting to offer at the moment, just these thoughts.