Or at least that’s how it turned out.

Took Katie to a local production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was very well done – obviously a fun show to do. I had never seen it before, although I used to have the soundtrack, and knew it rather well. But…now having seen it, I must say I was a little surprised at how absolutely de-Godded it was. Kind of fun, but gosh, what was the point? Without “Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good…” all that’s left is a story about a guy with good luck. Okay, I know. It’s fluff and it’s supposed to be. But I still grumbled.

Then tonight it was a viewing of Spellbound, that wonderful documentary about the National Spelling Bee that Katie and I had seen in the theater, but Michael had not. So I made him watch it, now that it’s out on video. Even the second time around, I found it very moving and complicated, as you watch twelve and thirteen-year olds bear terrific burdens of hope, identity and achievement doing something – spelling words – that seems not worthy of those who look to it to give them a place.

Finally (yes, one more), we watched American Splendor, which I liked for its unique style, what it says about the value of so-called “ordinary life,” art and mortality. If you’ve seen it, see if you agree with me – the most lasting image for me will be Harvey Pekar, battling cancer, trying to articulate to his wife his fear – if I go, will the comic character Harvey Pekar go on, or will he end, too? He’s not just asking about a character. He’s asking about his own existence. Is this the end of me? At some level, that is why creative people do what they do – because they don’t want it to be the end of them, when the end comes.

(I had actually wanted to get either Lost in Translation or Intolerable Cruelty but our local video fiesta was stripped bare of both, in all formats. )