today's reward

I didn't really earn this but I thought it looked pretty good anyway. When I got to the DMV this morning they informed me that I didn't have to take the written test after all. But I still have to take the driving test, even though I took it in June. How bad could it get in 4 months, I asked, to no avail. Next opening is two weeks after we arrive at the beach. I'm negotiating but probably will not have any luck. I don't like the idea of driving in Mexico without a license because of the insurance issues.

As a reward for nothing, I watched Raise the Red Lantern this afternoon. I saw this exquisitely beautiful movie years ago and wanted to see if it holds up. It does. I usually watch daytime movies on my big-screen computer monitor. Since this film has subtitles I had to sit nose-to-nose with it to read. But one nice thing is that I can pause the film to really read what's frequently just flashed at the bottom in which case I miss it. Sad story; no good can come of such misery. But a visual feast.