This weekend, I received a check in the mail for $0.17. It was apparently my share of the proceeds from a class action lawsuit against one of the banks with whom I used to have a credit card. Though I never noticed anything amiss with their business conduct, I was apparently callously bilked out of nearly enough money to buy a gumball without being aware of it! Thank heaven for the ceaseless vigilance of the American system of jurisprudence.

Why do I suspect that the only people who got more than the price of first-class postage out of this were the lawyers?

On a recent date night, Kathy and I caught Moulin Rouge at the $2.00 theater in town. Though bawdy enough that it can by no means be considered a family-friendly film, I was hugely impressed with it, especially the wonderfully creative music. (Who knew young Obi-Wan could sing like that?) The film borrows freely from the pop music of the last three decades, interspersing The Police’s “Roxanne” with The Sound of Music theme with Elton John’s “Your Song” and many others. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman carry off their leads so well that the music just seems a natural extension of what’s going on in the story, lending emotional heights and depths to the straightforward story that would otherwise be unachievable. An artful combination of humor, drama, and pathos makes this a film well worth watching — you’ll come away singing compulsively.

Emily returned from her annual summer trip to New York about two weeks ago. We’ve really been glad to have her around again, and are enjoying her sweet disposition and pleasant company once more. She came back with gifts for the whole family. In a particularly touching show of her knowledge of my tastes, she presented me with a tin of jalepeno cheese dip, which I gobbled immediately.