Today's blog is brought to you via the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 'Word of the Day'; connections (everything is connected); coincidences; and memories.
Tutelary (having the guardianship of a person or thing) is today's 'Word of the Day'. One of the examples is: "You can see a similar restlessness in the range of C.K.'s influences....Indie film pioneer John Cassavetes may be another tutelary spirit." - From a review by Adam Wilson in Salon.com, September 25, 2012"
Seeing the name John Cassavetes reminded me of how much I liked him as an actor. He starred in the TV series Johnny Staccato (September 10, 1959-March 24, 1960) just when I was an impressionable teenager. My diary entry for September 10, 1959 includes: "Watched premiere of Johnny Staccato tonight." I failed to record my impression of it. Chances are I didn't get to watch it too often - it aired opposite ABC's The Real McCoys and CBS's Johnny Ringo (which I also really liked). I think we usually watched the ABC show - Dad pretty much ruled the TV viewing.
So when I looked up John Cassavetes to remind myself not only of the TV series but also some of his other parts and the films he directed, guess what? Today was the date of his birth in 1929 (December 9, 1929-February 3, 1989). How's that for coincidence?
I remembered really liking Cassavetes as an actor and being disappointed when he more or less gave up acting to become a writer/producer/director of independent films. One of his films, A Woman Under The Influence (1974), starred his wife, Gena Rowlands (the two shown above). Rowlands was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and Cassavetes for Best Director for the film. (I am also a big fan of Gena Rowlands.)
Another memory staccato brings back: It must have been the year I first learned the word which roughly means disconnected, abrupt, disjointed. I remembered using it in the Ruffled Feathers column I wrote for the school paper: "Didja ever notice the different staccatoes of people going down stairs?"
On a totally unconnected subject, but still in the realm of coincidences - also this morning, through a Facebook thread, I saw a picture (below) from Tourism Ireland's FB page. Regular readers might remember my post Maam Cross (January, 2010) and the picture of the Connemara Mare (above) I wanted to bring home with me from Ireland.
It is nice to see via the Tourism Ireland's FB photos that little mare is still going strong. Or perhaps this is one of her progeny. After all, my trip was 18 years ago. Here's to coincidences and connections.
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