Anne the Vegan

Buff City Soap: A Review!

On one of my last trips to Trader Joe’s in Short Pump, I noticed a colorful new storefront next door. Buff City Soap is new to the Richmond area, and I’m pretty excited about it! There is another location in Willow Lawn as well. The promise of plant based soaps and no harsh chemicals drew me in the door!

On my first visit, I wandered in, not realizing they actually weren’t open yet. No matter. The store manager was very gracious, introduced herself, educated me about their store and products, and even gave me a couple of samples of their indulgent body soaps and their laundry soap!

My beautiful sample soaps from Buff City Soap!

All of their materials are responsibly sourced, and the only thing that I can see that doesn’t make their products vegan is the use of honey in a few of their items. In addition to their body and laundry soaps, they also make body butter, shower oils, bath bombs, face soap, and even pup soap, among other products!

Details about the oils in their products.

The stores are bright and airy, and the staff are so nice! I’m pretty sensitive to fragrances, especially synthetic ones, but the atmosphere of the store doesn’t inundate me, surprisingly.

Now that they are officially open, I’ve made a couple visits and purchases. I bought a bar for myself in magnolia, my favorite flower, which is nicely scented, but not overwhelmingly so. The bar lathers well and leaves my skin super soft. Just like my nose, my skin is also super sensitive. I’ve used bar soaps and body washes that have made me break out into a rash. Thankfully, my skin likes this soap. I find myself reaching for my body lotion less than ever. I was impressed enough to take my daughter there so she could pick out her own soap. We also chose a bar for her sister and a face soap for me.

There are so many great scents and colors, it’s really difficult to choose just one! Some are simply clean. Some are tailored to kids. Others are definitely more feminine. Yet there are still others that are decidedly more masculine. They even had a bar called Fruity Pebbles. It really did smell like the cereal! And if you don’t find one you absolutely love, they will create a scent just for you. Don’t like scented products? There’s an unscented line, too.

An assortment of items at Buff City Soap.

These products aren’t your everyday drugstore items. They are kind of a treat yourself type of purchase. At $7 for an average bar, it might seem a bit pricey, but when you consider you are getting a handmade product with quality ingredients, it’s worth it! Buff City Soap has a reward program, so be sure to sign up for that if you go.

If you’re in need of a little pick me up, a gift for a friend, or an update in your grooming routine, go check out Buff City Soap. Tell them Anne the Vegan sent you!

___________

Do you indulge in special grooming products? I’d love to hear about some of your favorites!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

Freedom of Speech is Not a Student Right in Hanover County Schools

Ugh. This school board.

Remember last month when a man came to my child’s high school to protest, holding vulgar signs, and he was allowed to do so based on a “technicality,” and that kids who walked out of class later in the month to protest proposed transgeneder rights policies were suspended for several days? Yeah. First of all, the punishment for protesting should have only been the same punishment for skipping class: an unexcused absence. That is per the ACLU’s interpretation of the law. But instead, the school system chose to overreact to prove a point. Now, that overbearing reaction is likely going to be made policy. Not only that, but the language is so vague, that anything a student says or wears could be deemed “disruptive” depending on the administrator.

Here is the language:

Note that there are also new proposed policies with regard to self-defense that is equally vague.

Here is my letter to the school board:

Dear School Board:
On your agenda tomorrow is a proposed revision in the Code of Conduct for students focused on student protests.
In it, you state that children will not be allowed to demonstrate under any circumstance, to include engaging in protests, and will be subject to disciplinary action, including suspension.
I’m writing as a parent of students who are either currently enrolled in or have recently graduated from this school system. And as a parent, I’m deeply concerned by this proposal.
The ACLU outlines student’s rights to protest on their website. They subscribe to the notion that students can be punished for missing class, but punishment should not be greater if the reason is for participating in a peaceful protest. Nor should students be punished, for example, for wearing items which support their gay or transgender classmates. If you let students wear “Let’s Go Brandon” and “F*ck Biden” merchandise, as my child has reported, she can wear all the versions of rainbows she desires. Consider this email my permission slip for my child to support her friends.
Last year, the General Assembly passed legislation which allows students excused absences for participating in protests as their right to participate in the democratic process. Your proposal is not congruent with the law of the state. It fails to recognize children as full humans with rights and privileges to freedom of speech. (After all, isn’t this what the Supreme Court is about to do? Recognize children from the moment of fertilization as full humans? That’s a whole other issue, but this supports this point.)
What a tremendous opportunity for social studies teachers to educate their students on engaging with a democratic government: by talking about their rights to participate in avenues of peaceful civil discourse. There are certainly ways to work with students to allow them to have their voices heard.
By squelching their voices, you’re missing the point of education entirely.
I’m truly heartbroken for young people right now and the world that the adults in charge are creating for them. It’s draconian. And it’s scary.
Shame on you for even proposing this.

I did receive a response from the chair of the school board. She thanked me for my concern and tried to reassure me that this new policy is simply a “proposal.” Sigh. Nothing was decided in the school board meeting this week.

Other than that, just like every other letter I’ve written to the school board and which have been cc’d to the Board of Supervisors, I’ve heard crickets.

My voice, it seems, does not matter.

Does this mean I’m going to stop sending emails? Stop calling my legislators? Stop showing up to vote? Stop protesting? No, it does not. I will continue to be as noisy as I can.

__________

How do you get involved in the democratic process? We really must engage right now, even at the local level, or we won’t have a democracy in which to participate very soon.

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

Uncorked Half Marathon 2022: Race Recap!

I ran this race in 2018 and swore I was one and done with this event, but I was lucky to win a free entry to the Uncorked Half Marathon from Austin (@eatsbyaustin on Instagram) and Sports Backers, so I was ready to give it a second chance! My reasoning was similar to why I was never going to run the Patrick Henry half again: the heat and the hills! Alas, I ran that one again, too, as the rebranded Ashland Half Marathon.

The New Kent Winery from the start/finish line.

Taking place in New Kent County from the New Kent winery, the event also has a 5k and a pretty great post-race party. They also host a brunch as an add-on to the race. The winery is so pretty!

As it turns out, the weather for Saturday’s race was nearly perfect! Temperatures were in the upper 50’s with a light mist for the entire race. Admittedly, this was terrible weather for friends and volunteers who weren’t running.

A wild columbine on the course. My favorite wildflower!

The course, even though it was just as hilly as I remember, was beautiful. The first 10ish miles winds through country roads which would have mainly been in the shade had it been a sunny day. There’s a bit of a tease at the end, because just when you think you are back to the finish with the winery in sight and post-race announcements audible, you are routed through a neighborhood of absolutely stunning homes. You finally make your way back to the winery to finish. I wore my Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon shirt to remind me that just a few weeks ago, I climbed 2 mountains. So, really, the only hill I absolutely walked was during mile 7, where the cheering squad from the Fitness Warriors was there to lift our spirits! And I loved seeing all of the wildflowers in bloom, including my favorite: the wild columbine.

With the cheering squad of Fitness Warriors at the top of the hill at mile 7!

If you don’t know, the Fitness Warriors is the Sports Backers program that trains fitness enthusiasts to be group fitness instructors. These health advocates go on to serve communities who don’t ordinarily have access to gyms and other wellness outlets and who have high rates of chronic disease. It has made a tremendous impact on the Richmond community, and it was the charity partner for this event. They are also a very enthusiastic bunch whose energy is contagious!

Another awesome thing about this race? The swag! The medal is a wine stopper, and the ladies race shirt is a singlet! I love them both this year! You also get a wine glass and a free glass of wine or beer after the race. My choice? The Vidal Blanc.

With Austin (@eatsbyaustin on Instagram) after the race.

With Emily (@thedietitianrunner on Instagram) after the race.

It was so much fun to see both old friends and new friends at this race! I’m excited that I met Austin and Emily in person. It’s great to finally meet Instagram friends in real life!

Once again, Sports Backers put on a great event. We really lucked out on the weather this year. Will I be back? We shall see!

My glass of Vidal Blanc with vineyards and the finish area in the background.

___________

Do you have any spring races on you agenda? I’d love to hear about it! This was half marathon #3 this year for me.

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

It’s Time

I participated in a protest for the first time this week. By now, you have heard the proposed vote of the Supreme Court of the United States in the leaked opinion on Roe vs. Wade. This is happening in a country that touts freedom. Well, apparently that really just means for white men.

For my sisters in the sorority of survivors of sexual assault, my heart aches with yours. The wounds from the insurmountable, enduring trauma have been ripped wide open again.

With no exception for rape or incest, the drafted opinion, if passed, would mean that children would be forced to carry out a pregnancy from the spawn of a rapist. Imagine the trauma, the risk of death, the badge of shame this carries. Imagine being an 11 year old girl who barely understands her own body going through this. Imagine this is your daughter.

Despite what some politicians have stated, rape is never ok. Women should not be expected to “just accept and enjoy it.” And coercion is not consent. And pregnancy from rape is not an “opportunity.” It’s a death sentence. The life of the victim, as she knows it, is over.

For parents of daughters, it’s our responsibility to preserve their rights to body autonomy. If we lose this right, if THEY lose this right, then what rights do women really have? I mean, really. Why bother getting an education if the government views us as property to be taken? As if our only purpose in life is to be an incubator? It’s pointless. This is what it’s come to.

Whatever your views are about when life begins, you must keep religious views out of the equation of bodily autonomy. Period. Our founding fathers did not intend our country to be a theocracy. That is why there is a separation of Church and State. The phrase “under God” wasn’t even added to the Pledge of Allegiance until the 1950’s. This is stuff that Handmaid’s Tale was made from.

I have not known a world without reproductive rights. I’ve always known that I had a way out if birth control failed, and I ended up with an unintended pregnancy. The generation of my children don’t realize exactly what’s at stake.

I went to work this week, which was a pleasant distraction from the news of the leaked brief. I expected my much younger colleagues to be up in arms about the news, but no one talked about it. But we must!

Every woman and girl should have autonomy over their bodies. Not allowing this gives all the power to men. All of it. But women aren’t solely responsible for pregnancies. We just bear the burden of carrying them, whether we want them or not. Yet nothing will happen to men in the event of an unwanted pregnancy. They get to live their lives freely. Women will be forced to accept the physical and financial consequences, even if they really can’t afford to do so.

Women who end up with complications will die. Complications like ectopic pregnancies, the death of the fetus that does not naturally miscarry, severe chromosomal anomalies which would cause severe pain and death for a fetus: all of these possible traumatic outcomes would cause harm to a woman. There are no exceptions for cases like these. Women will lose their lives because politicians who write these laws don’t understand medicine. Women’s rights are human rights.

My favorite ahthor, Barbara Kingsolver, states the obvious, but so eloquently, alongside a picture of an egg:

“This is a fertile egg. Not a chicken. That only happens after a hen gives her whole life over to brooding it. Most hens, on most days, opt to lay and move on. That’s just nature and good sense: motherhood is too important, too all consuming, to be done well unless it’s undertaken by choice, isn’t it?”
Barbara Kingsolver

Speaking up for all women at the Hanover Courthouse.

What can we do?

Like I said, I’ve never participated in a protest until this week. But there is too much on the line now. Our leaders must hear our discontent. Those who said we were overreacting when DT became president have been proven wrong. And I can’t believe that a man who was credibly accused of sexual assault is allowed to determine the reproductive rights of women.

This time, apathy cannot win. If this first in the big dominoes is allowed to fall, next will be same sex marriage and birth control. Don’t say it won’t happen. It’s in the brief.

Call your senators and congressmen. Call your state’s governor and representatives. Protest, if you can. And vote like your life depends on it. Be noisy. The freedom of women and girls is on the line.

____________

There is so much more to be said. It’s time to fight. Please. For all women.

First photo courtesy of Rachel Levy.

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

Totally Yawn Worthy

My patient let out a very audible yawn during our treatment session the other day. This meant that I, too, started to yawn.

I actually love this phenomenon: the contagiousness of yawns. It gives me an opportunity to discuss a bit of useless trivia with my patients.

You see, there was a study a few years ago which researched the behavioral traits that contributed to the likelihood of “catching” a yawn. The study linked an empathetic nature to catching a yawn, and psychopathic tendencies to not catching them. I always mention this article when my patients and I start passing yawns back and forth. Since I caught the yawn from my patient, I told him he could rest assured that I’m not a psychopath. This typically yields a laugh out of my patients!

I’m yawning incessantly just writing this blog post. The mere suggestion of a yawn makes me do so. I even catch them from my dog!

Last year, I learned another fact about yawns. A group of scientists studied why we yawn in the first place, trying to link autonomic responses to this very primitive behavior. Their hypothesis? It’s to cool a hot brain! Kind of like air conditioning for your cerebrum. Interesting, huh?

So if you ever wonder what kind of small talk I discuss with my patients on a daily basis, these stories are among my repertoire.

The next time you catch a yawn, know that you’re not a crazy person. Also note that yawning doesn’t mean you’re bored, or even tired. It just means that your brain is hot!

And if you’re not yawning after reading this, I’d like to know…

___________

Did you know these things about yawning? I think it’s fascinating. How about you?

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

Nightmares

I’ve always had them. I recalled my childhood night terrors to you in an earlier post: the man in the sky admonishing me for being a bad girl, accompanied by booming thunder and lightning. I was 3 or 4 when these began, and these dreams are among my first memories.

As an adult, during times of worldly stress, nightmares emerge again.

Following the 9/11 attacks, I frequently dreamt about men in long robes wearing turbans and bearing assault rifles rounding up the women and holding us hostage. In some, buildings would catch fire, and I’d have to shimmy down an elevator shaft to escape. In others, I had to run. And in one, we were held in a big room and given electronic devices. No one seemed to care that they were imprisoned; they were too distracted by their devices.

Soon after the Ukraine invasion, dreams about Russia began. In one, a few women, including me, were rounded up by Russians who had invaded the US. I was desperately trying to befriend one of my captors so I could survive. In another, a group of many women and children were being held in a complex of apartments. They were very, very basic with cinder block walls, like what you would find in some church camps that I remember from childhood. There were tiny cameras mounted everywhere that would track our movements, with flashes going off when you least expected it, making it known that someone was aware of your location. I went outside and tried to go for a run, wearing sandals, and with legs that felt so very heavy.

Sometimes my nightmares have nothing to do with worldly issues at all.

This week’s dreams included one about snakes. There were multiple types, some poisonous, some not. I was driving over them, and one was trying to get into the car, nudging my seat under me. I woke up to the dog pushing her paw into my backside. So, maybe this dream wasn’t about snakes after all. Maybe it was my brain’s interpretation of what was physically happening to me!

A copperhead snake that crossed my path on a trail run! What runners refer to as a “nope rope.” Copperheads are venomous.

Some of these dreams are disturbing enough that once I wake up, I struggle to get back to sleep, as my anxiety is triggered and in full gear. Those are the nights when I try to solve all of the world’s problems at 4:15am. Sigh.

According to one scholarly article I read, about 1 in 20 “normal” people experience one nightmare a week. I’d say that’s about what I have. Sometimes fewer, sometimes more. Nightmares are often associated with times of stress, and are frequent in people with PTSD. This is understandable.

Nightmares as an adult can be distressful. I personally try to figure out why I’m having them. Sometimes it’s obvious, as my reactions to war were created by my imagination, or my brain makes up a scenario to match physical sensations I’m feeling in my sleep, like my dog kicking me! Other times, they reveal deeper anxieties that let your conscious mind know that your subconscious mind needs to work out some issues. Aren’t our brains frustratingly amazing?

__________

Have you had nightmares as an adult? Can you always relate them to stressful triggers? I’d love to hear about it.

Nightmares can definitely affect your stress levels and leave you feeling unsettled, certainly affecting your overall wellness. If they are disturbing your sleep on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to seek help from a professional to get to the root of the issue.

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

And This is Why I’m Grateful for Virtual Races…

Here’s the thing: healthcare providers who work in a hospital have to work weekends. Oftentimes, the managers who work on scheduling these weekend shifts have to plan months in advance, which means their staff do, too. It’s impossible to avoid the inevitable disappointment of not being able to participate in something fun because of work.

I worked on Saturday. When I chose this weekend, I looked at the spring race calendar, and Richmond’s favorite block party, the Sports Backers Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k, was not on the books yet. So I rolled the dice on choosing my April Saturdays that still also worked around the Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Half Marathon. And as it worked out, one of the days I chose fell on race weekend for the Monument 10k.

I had resigned myself to the fact that I would miss out on the party, so I didn’t register. As race day drew closer, I realized that there was still a virtual option! And while I couldn’t run in person, I could still run my 10th Monument 10k on my own. And so when one of my friends had a code for a free bib, I took it!

With some fellow RRRC volunteers at the expo.

Even though I didn’t get to run on Saturday, I did get to spend some time on Friday evening at the expo. I volunteered at the Richmond Road Runners Club booth. We met so many runners! And completely ran out of the Spring issue of Miles and Minutes! I wrote 2 articles for this issue. I recycled my blog post about what it means to be an athlete and wrote a race recap for the Sweetheart 8k. I talked up another local run club in this article, #WeOffTheCouch, and they were also at the expo! I was excited that they had the copy of the magazine open at the booth. I’m glad I stopped to meet them!

I ran my virtual race on Sunday, the day after the real event. It was so hot! And for some reason, my almost 50 year old body has been delivering more than the average number of personal summers in the past few days, so that didn’t help my heat tolerance at all. In fact, the whole run was miserable. Even in the first mile, when I usually feel light, I felt anything but. I may as well have been running on Jupiter. Or at least pulling a parachute behind me! But, alas, I got it done. It was definitely a chipper. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Some runs are like that, right?

Almost done with my virtual 10k at this point!

If you ran the Sports Backers Monument 10k, it truly looked like a blast! It’s wonderful to have the race in person once again. But I am extremely grateful that one vestige of the pandemic running scene remains, at least for now: the virtual option.

___________

Let me just say that men have no idea how challenging it is to run through perimenopause. And the doctors, even my female ones, are like, eh. It’s just the way things are. Sigh. Anyone have any tips to help me out?

If you ran this race, I’d love to hear about your experience, whether you ran it in person or virtually like me!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

Comfort Movies: That Thing You Do

Who doesn’t love a great story about an underdog who makes it big? It’s the epiphany of the American dream! And, besides, who hasn’t dreamed of becoming a rock star at some point in their lives?

The first time I saw this movie was in the historic Byrd Theater in Richmond. I was knee deep in my first year of grad school, studying for exams, and about to burn out from all the stress. One of my study partners suggested we take a break. This movie was it! It was a Saturday night, so we even got to hear the legendary Werlitzer organ play in the Byrd! I briefly forgot about all my troubles, and I became completely lost in the joy of this movie.

The creation of Tom Hanks, That Thing You Do follows the journey of the Wonders, a garage band that makes it big seemingly overnight. The film answers the question, “Who are the one hit wonders?”

My favorite scene is when they all first hear their song on the radio. Witnessing their sheer joy is truly uplifting!

My husband, even though he doesn’t understand my adoration for this movie, sought out a copy for me one Christmas. He also got me the soundtrack CD, which was buried under a bunch of other forgotten titles in a $5 bin at our local Best Buy. I was elated!

With the advent of iTunes, I actually bought another song on this soundtrack: Little Wild One. It is currently on my running playlist.

If you didn’t know, the artist who wrote the song That Thing You Do as well as most of the other songs on the soundtrack was Adam Schlessenger of the band Fountains of Wayne. You may know him better for the song Stacey’s Mom. Sadly, he succumbed to Covid at the beginning of the pandemic. That makes this movie even more special to me now.

The stars of this movie got together later in the pandemic, after Adam passed away, to watch the movie together in a live stream, providing commentary along the way. It was so bittersweet to watch.

To this day, though, this is one of my all time favorite movies to watch when I’m not feeling well.

___________

Do you love this movie, too? What are some of your favorite comfort movies? I’d love to hear about it!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

Race Recap: The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Half Marathon 2022

I can barely walk today. That about sums up how my body appreciates what I did on Saturday. I returned to Roanoke, VA to run the Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Half Marathon. Aptly dubbed America’s Toughest Road Race, the half course navigates over 2 mountains. Just like last year, I am more sore than I ever have been running any of the full marathons I’ve done, which leaves me in even more awe of the runners who completed the full marathon and the double marathon! The discomfort I feel leaves me feeling a bit embarrassed, since it was only a half! I’m hoping that by tomorrow, I will feel more normal.

The ambassador experience this year felt more robust than last year. I’m sure emerging from Covid helped! But in addition to free entry to the race of our choice, we got VIP access on race day, free tickets to see The Wallflowers for their Saturday night concert, a super nice quarter zip, free entry into the Slow-K Sunday, and lots of exposure on social media. I really appreciate all they did for us! With so many of us taking advantage of the VIP area, I got to meet several other ambassadors, including a local Richmond runner who is involved in the Richmond Road Runners Club! It’s a small world.

This weekend was great, though! My husband’s cousin, who lives just a couple of miles from the race start, was a gracious host.

This is from the Roanoke Greenway looking toward Roanoke Memorial Hospital and Mill Mountain. Look at all of the gorgeous colors! I completed my final clinical experience to complete my PT degree at this hospital over 20 years ago!

I drove down Friday afternoon, making my way over Afton Mountain on 64, then to 81 all the way to the expo. It was a beautiful drive, with mountain views for days, and the colors of spring emerging: bright greens of new leaves, white flowers of the dogwood trees, and the stunning light purples of the red buds. The expo took advantage of this beauty, as it was outdoors. I really liked this setup because it felt more like a festival!

Weather for race day seemed a bit iffy all week, with rain predicted. I was mentally preparing myself to get wet. But, luckily, there was a dramatic shift in the forecast overnight, and the chance of rain plummeted to 15%. It never rained a drop! I’m positive it’s because I deliberately left my sunglasses in the car. I still had my Boco Gear visor, though! Can’t run without it!

The early morning view from the VIP area.

This year felt a bit more relaxed, as Covid restrictions in place last year were not necessary. Elmwood Park, the site of the finish line festival, was open to anyone. Last year, only participants could enter the start/finish areas, and masks were expected. The VIP area was nice! It was great to have a special place to hang out and relax before and after the race, on the patio of the library overlooking the race festival. (If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I love books, so the library felt like home.) We also had access to real bathrooms. All of which was much appreciated!

Before the start of the race with Richmond friends Tina, Selina, Misti, and Shannon!

I started the race with my friend Tina, but she was having a great day and left me after the first mile. We had met another runner at the start line named Anna, and I struck up a conversation with her. We ran together for a while, up and down Mill Mountain, through the Greenway, and then up Peakwood. I struggled so much up Peakwood mountain, and I don’t remember it feeling that tough last year. This is where my new friend had to take off. But after running down Peakwood, the course got easier. I was fueled bySport Beans and SaltStick fast chews, which I definitely needed! It was humid, and it got a bit warmer than forecasted. In the end, my time was about the same as last year.

Heading toward Mill Mountain in the first mile.

I’m still absolutely awestruck by the views on this course, the beautiful neighborhoods, and the crowd support.

At the top of Mill Mountain. This is the Roanoke Star, which lights up at night.

The view coming down from Mill Mountain.

This mannequin was on the course last year, too, at around mile 11-12.

I really wanted to go to the concert Saturday night, but I was spent! I stayed in.

Sunday morning was the Slow-K presented by Altra Running. I didn’t do this last year and then deeply regretted not going. The mug was amazing. This year’s mug was also cute! With coffee, donuts, music, Altra shoe demos, and goats! The goats were there to support this year’s race weekend theme, Be the Goat, and were super cute! And if you didn’t get your fill of donuts at the start, there were race officials on bikes delivering them along the route! The 5k walk was a great way to work out some of the stress from the day before. Tina and I struck up a conversation with a married couple who live in Roanoke. All in all, a highly pleasant way to start the day!

I returned home yesterday afternoon, making a pit stop in Farmville to have lunch with my daughter. The drive back via 460 was far less crowded than the interstates, albeit a bit longer. But it’s nice to be home!

I’ll be back for another year of challenge for sure! The mountains are my happy place, so it was great to have an excuse to be among them for a weekend. For my runner friends, if you live anywhere near Roanoke, I highly recommend putting one of the Blue Ridge races on your bucket list.

___________

Ok, runners! What races are on your bucket list? I’d love to hear about it!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

Comfort Movies: The Sound of Music

The closing song for the Elliot in the Morning show on DC101 is a punked up version of “So Long, Farewell.” It makes me chuckle every time I hear it. He even mashes up a bit of Ozzy Ozbourne in toward the end. It’s brilliant. And that’s a testament to the lasting influence of the great Rodgers and Hammerstein songwriting duo of the Broadway golden years.

When I was in high school, our drama teacher, Ms. Quinn, loved all musicals Rodgers and Hammerstein. We became well versed in the music of Oklahoma, South Pacific, and the like. We never did recreate The Sound of Music, though. It seems that the first time she did the musical at the school, she felt it was the best they could do. We must have watched the tapes of the production at least 20 times during my 3 years of drama classes. And it was very good!

I have loved the movie ever since I was a very young child. In fact, one of the stories my parents love to tell about me is the one time I tried to run away, packing up this ugly, very 1970’s avocado green bag with some clothes, walking down the block, and returning home. I said I was running away to go live with Julie Andrews, only to find that she wasn’t home. I guess I’ve always thought the world created by this movie was hopeful and comforting.

I looked forward to watching this movie on TV each holiday season, as did my parents. It was their favorite. So, of course it made sense that they would enable my love for it as well.

When we finally had devices to play movies at home, the VHS tape quickly became a part of my collection. Does anyone else remember when longer movies were issued on two tapes? Later, I upgraded to DVD, and now Blu Ray. I even have the CD for sing-a-longs.

I wouldn’t call my love for this movie an obsession, but it is among the movies that I classify as comfort movies. You know the ones. The movies you watch when you are feeling anxious or sick, and you just really need a familiar, good, uplifting story to restore your faith in humanity. My blu ray got lots of play time during the height of the pandemic.

My younger daughter just returned from a trip to Hampton for a robotics competition, and she was exhausted. She wanted to watch this movie on her first day home. I completely understood. It seems I’ve created the next generation of The Sound of Music fans.

What could be more badass than a family fighting fascism? Truly. Mixed with a tremendous love story, too. And maybe the songs are cheesy, but who cares? If it’s cool enough for Elliot in the Morning, well, that speaks volumes for its continued cultural significance. This movie brings me comfort and joy. And some days, that’s exactly what we need.

___________

This movie is perhaps the reason why I became curious about learning more about World War II and the atrocities of the Holocaust, reading books like The Diary of Anne Frank. On bad days, I will watch this movie for comfort like it’s a weighted blanket. It’s currently streaming on Disney+.

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.