Living with Schmidt.

In About Schmidt, Jack Nicholson plays guy who just retires, finds his life adrift. Being an insurance actuary, he understands the finiteness of life, and after the death of his wife (adoring and annoying), that time gets shorter. So he embarks on a journey in his winnebago to stop the marriage of his daughter to a skeezy waterbed salesman.

In a late night fit of depression and restlessness, he watches a Sally Struther's Weepfest, and decides to sponsor a child for just $23 a month. A photo and brief letter comes back, telling him that he has sponsored Ndugu from Tanzania. The narrative gimmick (which works really well) is that he writes Ndugu about his life, his wife, the wedding etc.

Why does this pertain to me?

M. retired a couple of weeks ago. He is still employed but the end is in sight and the daily schedule has changed. More importantly, the attitude has changed. Time is less important than money. And this morning, after a quick bowl of cereal, he hopped back in bed, to watch a religious fund gathering thing to save the poor children in the Ukraine. Covers pulled up to around his double-pillow-propped head, he watched with horrifying glee at the saccharine pitch that this religious person gave.

Ok. So M watches for irony and not connection, but I have to say, the connection was pretty startling.

I really don't want my life to be like this movie: his wife dies vacuuming . But I should be safe; I don't vacuum.