ANORA

Many movies focused on sex workers are either depraved downward spirals or Hollywood feel good stories. "Anora" is neither of this, and quite possibly the best film ever to tackle this subject matter. It is the best movie from 2024 that have seen!

At its core, the movie is about the American Dream and who gets to live that dream. Unless one is born into privilege and has the backing of one's family or extended network, achieving financial security and social stability is nearly impossible. Fundamentally, I believe those were the key issues that people voted on last year and that ushered the least qualified president in human history back into office.

The title, "Anora," is the name of the main character, who prefers to go by Ani. She comes from modest means, living in Brooklyn with her sister and earning a living as a stripper. When the son of a Russian oligarch offers her a way out, she leaps at it!

I will not divulge more details. However, what follows is partly a home invasion thriller, road movie, and a love story all rolled into one. That the director, Sean Baker, is able to seamlessly cover so much ground and keep the audience riveted during the the two plus hours of the film is quite remarkable.

See "Anora" to understand the time we live in now and to understand more about yourself. There is a humanity and a universality to Anora, and I find it hard to get this movie and its namesake out of my mind.

SEIZING THE DAY

Sometimes it is difficult to appreciate how quickly one's children are growing up. This was not one of those days. 

Cate left for a soccer tournament in Arizona on Thursday with Kathleen. The Tigers played their first game yesterday. Cate scored the first goal. After the other team pulled one back, Cate converted a penalty as cool as you like to make it 2-1!

The Tigers added a third to secure a 3-1 victory.

Beyond the win, though something even more important had been taking place behind the scenes. We were aware that there would be several college coaches attending the tournament to scout players. However, unbeknownst to us, Cate had reached out to one of the coaches from a highly selective school beforehand and expressed her interest in that school and that team. As a result, the coach came to see her play. 

What happened afterwards was even more astonishing. Cate went up the coach and introduced herself and shared her interested in the school and the subjects she was passionate about. He complemented her, talked about the academic advantages of the school, and invited her for a school visit. She was so excited afterwards that she called us from the car to let us know what had happened! I was in awe!

I could not be more impressed by Cate's proactiveness and her self-advocacy. Pursuing your dreams is scary, especially when one does not have a good guide who has navigated that terrain, themselves. I know I often struggle with putting myself out there due to imposter syndrome. However, I have learned time and time again that achieving one's dreams is 90% hard work and just showing up. The other 10% is about luck, but we make our own luck! 

I am so proud of this young woman, who is growing up before our eyes. I know she has a bright future ahead of her, and I feel so lucky to be able watch her grow and take off!

THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Today is Nicholas' last day of winter break. It has been wonderful having him home these past four weeks, and we definitely fit a lot in!

We traveled to Texas, where we celebrated Christmas and New Years together. We went on many walks together. We watched a ton of movies. My favorite was "Real Pain." We listened to many podcasts - particularly those from Pop Culture Happy Hour, reviewing the movies we had just watched. We went out to to eat. Indeed, this morning we headed downtown and had a wonderful brunch at Sava's. Afterwards, we headed to Starbuck's for a drink.

These quotidian moments are what I miss the most when he is gone - that and interacting daily with a close friend who understands and accepts me.

I will miss Nicholas these next two months until his Spring break, but I know that he has an exciting semester ahead of him with amazing classes, journalism opportunities, and college life. 

Life is about letting go, but it also about holding on to the simple but beautiful experiences we are fortunate to share with our loved ones everyday. I consider myself very lucky to have had nearly 20 years with this fine young man. I hope I get at least 20 more!