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I'm glad you watched Living. It's excellent. Its emotions and its message of doing something materially good for others (even if it's something small like getting a playground built) have really stuck with me.

I wonder sometimes, how much good would people do in the world if they weren't so preoccupied with the appearance of Being Good on social media instead?

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Excellent point. I think the desire to be seen to be good also causes people to reject smaller, humbler ways of improving the world, which the movie honors so beautifully.

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I also love a good plot twist. However, your column made me think of a different response to the idea of the man riding off into the sunset to follow his dreams while the woman remains, wistful and forlorn, on the farm (or wherever). Do you remember the Sylvia cartoons by Nicole Hollander? There's one were Sylvia is watching television and the dialogue bubble says, "Honey, I love you, but I've gotta be movin' on." Sylvia's comment: "Break his kneecaps." I've always loved that as a response to the "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" movie ending. And that would be quite a plot twist!

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Oh wow, I love this! Or, alternately, she could decide that that loser isn’t worthy of her! But I do love Sylvia 😊

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Bejun Mehta is amazing! I hadn’t heard him before. What an expressive voice!

Philippe Jaroussky has really impressed me recently, among the countertenors - I find he has great warmth. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zq49rymjvNg&pp=ygUXemVmaXJvIHRvcm5hIG1vbnRldmVyZGk%3D

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Oh Sarah, thank you so much! That was just delightful and put a huge smile on my face! The soprano and countertenor were perfectly matched and just tossed those runs off as though it were easy. I really loved that!

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So glad you liked it! Their voices really are perfectly matched. I love their kind of call-and-response right at the beginning.

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And how the look at each other mischievously, as if to say, Look what we can do!

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I was in the third row at Mehta’s recital, almost right in front of him. It was such a joy to watch how joyous he was--when he was done he actually laughed and then hugged everyone.

Thanks for the link--I’m looking forward to listening to Jaroussky!

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That’s so lovely! It sounds like he’s as happy as his voice makes him seem. :)

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Thanks for the recommendations!

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I’d love to know what you think about Living especially. I really loved it and found it so moving.

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