Back Flashing

I’ve written before that one of the true sanctuaries of my youth was the local YMCA. The Cantankerous Friend and I pretty much grew up there swimming, playing basketball, even working as both lifeguards and summer camp counselors well into our college careers. I haven’t been a member of a YMCA since I joined the Army back in 1978 so it was a little strange walking into the Worcester Y yesterday with my wife in a search for yoga/zumba classes (her) and a swimming hole (me). It helps that the place is less than a three minute drive from our new place and blessed with great facilities.

The Greendale YMCA in Worcester

It did bring back a lot of memories of all that time spent growing up in the Keene Y. I still remember walking home from winter swim practice with my hair still damp and having it freeze in place. Somehow I survived this, something that probably would have gotten my parents in trouble in today’s overprotective world. It’s always with some measure of regret when I return to Keene and see the former YMCA building fallen into disrepair as a shiny, new replacement was built on the outskirts of town. I’m looking forward to re-acquainting myself with a YMCA pool after a 37 year hiatus.

Another benefit of the new place is the similar proximity of the main Worcester movie theater. Last night my wife and I went to see Ricki and the Flash starring Meryl Streep. I’m firmly convinced Streep can do anything; I’d pay to see her painting walls. She plays an aging rocker who tries to re-connect with her family after abandoning them to pursue an unsuccessful rock career. She is teamed up with Kevin Kline again.  It was weird to see Sophie and Nathan doing battle again without Stingo around.

The scenes with her on screen daughter were especially good and I didn’t learn until afterwards that the actress was her daughter in real life. The apple did fall far. I really liked this movie because it didn’t go in expected directions, another example of Diablo Cody’s quirky, yet excellent writing. Streep’s character wasn’t always easy to root for but stayed true to herself, at a significant cost. Rick Springfield surprisingly held his own as Streep’s love interest. There was probably more singing than needed but you can never truly have enough rock music and Streep can also sing (because she truly does everything). A non-traditional story that explores the strength of family – a lot of fun.