My Impromptus column today is the usual smorgasbord: with some politics, some foreign affairs, some sports, some language, and so on. Before getting to mail on this column, let me mention this review, which is of a premiere that took place at the Metropolitan Opera last night. The work in question is The Hours, by Kevin Puts, an American composer born in 1972.
The opera is based on a 1998 novel, of the same title, by Michael Cunningham. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize — and in 2002 was made into a movie, which received nine Oscar nominations. Cunningham’s novel has had a remarkable run.
What’d I think of the opera? I admired it. I was impressed by it. Liking may take longer. In any case, it is an interesting work, and its premiere had a starry cast.
In my column today, I have an item on college football — particularly as played by our service academies. A reader writes,
Jay,
A couple of weeks back, I caught the Air Force football game on TV. The service academies have female cheerleaders now. These days, cheerleaders are usually turned out like showgirls, but Air Force had theirs quite sensibly attired in T-shirt and gym shorts, and they just looked so gosh-darned wholesome!
Much to be thankful for.
Amen.
I have a note — an item in my column — on the astronomer Jay Pasachoff, who has died at 79. Apparently, he was the world’s foremost authority on solar eclipses.
A reader writes,
Jay,
As I began reading your Impromptus this morning, one of my first thoughts was, “I should email Jay and tell him about the passing of Jay Pasachoff.” Silly me. A few paragraphs later, I read your comments. . . .
Jay and I were classmates at Harvard, and both in Quincy House. My roommate reminded me this morning that Jay used to come to the monthly French table in the Quincy dining hall . . .
A neat guy. He will be missed.
Here is another item from my column:
The English language is so flexible — not least in our habit of turning nouns into verbs. Do you know the verb “to non-tender”? I give you a headline from the sports pages: “Dodgers non-tender former MVP Cody Bellinger after another rough year at plate.”
A reader has a pithy note on turning nouns into verbs: “I have long believed that this is a sign of the apocalypse.”
Heh, no way.
One more item from today’s Impromptus:
Did you see this? “‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ 4K Release Features Over an Hour of Never-Before-Seen Deleted and Extended Scenes.” For the American male, Christmas has come early. (I’m not sure what “4K” is, if it’s not four thousand, but I’ll know soon.)
A reader writes,
Jay,
I share your esteem of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. You know how sometimes a movie is funnier when you’re in just the right setting and just the right mood? About 25 years ago, after putting our two young children to bed, my wife and I watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles with my brother and his wife. We had rented it the day after Thanksgiving. Everyone was relaxed and primed for a good time. None of us had seen it before, and we laughed until our sides hurt.
If I recall correctly, I had that experience only one other time — watching Meet the Parents with a bunch of my wife’s family at the beach. Again, the setting and mood were perfect, and we laughed until we cried.
Marvelous. And have a happy Thanksgiving, dear friends.