I see my earlier intro never made it thru the firewall. So here I go again. Greetings, fellow brokies and Tremblayans from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I am a fifty-something female (slightly bent, like Mandy
) hooked on BBM for almost 10 years!! Since October 13, 1997, when I received my weekly copy of the New Yorker in the mail. I have been reading this magazine for as long as I can remember, for the purpose of improving my writing (which is what I do for a living). Annie Proulx is one of my favorite authors, especially because of her brilliance in capturing rural settings and people (I love all things western) and I had just finished her novel "Postcards" so I tore into the short story "Brokeback Mountain" as soon as I saw it. The story made such an impact on me that I have kept it in a drawer by my bed ever since then! So, when I found out that a movie was being made, I was actually disappointed, because I didn't see how a movie could ever do justice to the story. And I thought such a movie would be panned and ridiculed by critics, and ignored by audiences. I am so glad that I was wrong! Of course, I didn't know that Lee, McMurtry, and Ossana were involved.
In 2002 I was introduced to the films of Ang Lee by a fellow employee at the engineering firm where I work. Although an engineer (with all that entails) he is Chinese-American from Brooklyn and so is a very enlightened person who has mentored me and encouraged me to have a life outside of just working and serving my family. But I didn't realize that Lee was at the helm of the movie until after the Denver International Film Festival last fall. Even then, I didn't go see the movie. Subconsciously I must have known that it was going to take over my life. Finally, in mid-January, my daughter and I had dinner at the Dushabe Teahouse in Boulder, Colorado, and then saw BBM. And I've been hooked again ever since.
BBM has led to a renaissance in my life. I've emerged from a robot-like state and have suddenly become intensely interested in the people around me, my fellow Tremblayans, and all the people I have lost touch with while raising children and punching a time clock. The movie and subsequent communion with all of you has also helped me get through a difficult time in my life. Altho I love my job, I am waiting for a new assignment to begin and am just killing time until then; I have a very difficult home life feeling estranged from my family; and most of all, I am appalled and disgusted by, shall we say, current events, most importantly the War in Iraq and the shameful behavior of the U.S. in the brotherhood of nations. BBM has been my escape, my refuge, and my magical place. Thanks for reading this and for being here!
