Our Rain Is Here To Stay

I awoke so late today, it was nearly 11 before I had breakfast, and quarter of 1 before I made it to the gym! I've decided to replace the stationary bike with a second elliptical workout. The bike just doesn't take off enough calories, no matter how far up I set the resistance. It took me a while to get to the leg machines. There were quite a few people on them today, including two older women who needed to take a while.

It was exactly 2 when I made it home. It had been hot, cloudy, and humid all morning, but it wasn't really doing much else besides looking damp. I was sweaty but otherwise fine when I got in. I grabbed tuna and tossed it into leftover Chinese beans for lunch while running An American In Paris.

Gene Kelly and Oscar Levant are buddies and artists (Kelly a painter, Levant a pianist and composer) who opted to stay in Paris after World War II. Kelly's not doing well until he meets an wealthy woman (Nina Foch) who wants to sponsor him...among other things. Kelly's ready to accept her offer, but then he meets the beautiful, elusive Lise (Leslie Caron). She's in a relationship with his good friend, a French music hall star (Georges Guetary), but isn't entirely happy. The two fall deeply in love with each other amid a backdrop of classic George Gershwin music and the most dazzling original ballet ever captured on film.

I think this mainly won the Oscar for that famous 17-minute ballet that concludes the film. It's an amazing riot of color and recreations of famous French artworks of various eras. The rest of the film is charming but not quite at the same level. The dated post-war plot really drags things down. There are a few other lovely numbers, notably Caron and Kelly's duet to "Our Love Is Here To Stay," Guetary delighting his music hall audiences with "Stairway to Paradise," and Kelly teaching a group of French street urchins "I Got Rhythm."

American In Paris ended just as I was heading out for work. Work was on-and-off busy, more so than last night. Otherwise, there were no major problems.

It was rather wet when I headed out. I saw customers carrying umbrellas earlier in the night, and my porch was soaked. The rain must have been long gone by the time I made it home, though. I arrived perfectly dry.