A Little Voyeuristic Thrill

Reading someone else’s diary…

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

I have never been good at keeping a journal or diary. I remember the childhood thrill of getting a new diary with it’s little brass lock and key. I would record my observations and activities for a couple of days then it would fall by the wayside, forgotten under the bed. My adult attempts to cultivate the habit of keeping a journal (because it was “good for me”) met the same fate.

I just finished reading Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman, and it was a complete pleasure.

Alan Rickman is probably best known (at least in the US) as the actor who played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. He did so much more. Remember him as the husband toying with the idea of infidelity in Love, Actually? As Colonel Brandon in Ang Lee’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility? As the evil Hans Gruber in Die Hard? As Ronald Reagan in The Butler?

Rickman died of pancreatic cancer in 2016 at the age of 69. The book Madly, Deeply is an edited collection of his diaries from 1993 until his death. As an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), Rickman was deeply embedded in the community of British actors. He worked with everybody. The diaries are full of bold-face names and are wonderfully dishy. He had deep and lasting friendships with many famous actors. The book is a remarkable window into a remarkable life.

2012, 28 April

11:30 Car to South Salem, Westchester, and Felicity and Stanley Tucci.

7ish Meryl Streep arrives. ‘That’s just where I want to find you,’ she says. ‘I’m making martinis.’ Great dinner of rabbit & polenta but even greater chat—the world and all its baggage—that went on at full voltage until 2:30am. Ms S. is truly a force of nature. Really informed—even if you don’t agree with the information—and eyes, mind and heart.

– from Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman

Rickman took the process of acting very seriously. He disdained the Academy Awards and all the similar film industry accolades (perhaps because he was so seldom recognized?) The early diaries reveal a degree of insecurity that surprised me. He frets over roles he wasn’t offered, is hurt when directors don’t seem to value his input. As he aged, he seemed to make peace with his place in the hierarchy of the theater and film business.

This book was a fun read and has sent me back to find streaming video of much of Rickman’s work. If you have an hour to spare, you might enjoy watching The Song of Lunch, a 2010 BBC short film starring Rickman and his frequent acting partner, Emma Thompson. It’s a melancholy look at mature love and the one who got away. Stream it on Amazon Prime. It’s also a tour de force by two marvelous actors in their prime.

On the knitting front

I have great news! The cardigan I’ve been working on since November (!!) is finished. I wove in all the ends last night and gave it a bath this morning. As soon as it’s dry, I’ll sew on the buttons.

The yarn is Malabrigo Dos Tierras. Naturally, it’s 80 degrees here today, so this wool/alpaca cardigan will end up being tucked away in a drawer for the next 6 months

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Look for this pattern to be published around the first of May. I still need to take photos, edit the pattern, and get it laid out.

In the meantime, I had three new design commissions land on my desk in the past 2 weeks (hooray!), so I won’t have any projects to show you for a while. The yarn companies reserve the right to reveal new designs, so I’m contractually barred from sharing photos or details.

There is, however, always time to make a swatch! If I get my hands on some yarns I think you’d like to see, you can bet I’ll give you a full report.

Some things that caught my eye

• Why is it so soothing to watch Stanley Tucci eat? I don’t know, but it is. His series Searching for Italy is available to stream on MAX (aka HBO).

• Some former children’s bookstore owners have opened The Rabbit Hole, an interactive museum devoted to children’s literature, in Kansas City, MO. How I wish something like this had been available when my son was small; he would have loved it.

• I love seeing exhibitions of historic fashion in museums. In this article from the Museum of London, a conservator takes us through the process of mounting a mourning dress worn by Queen Victoria for display. Fascinating.

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As always, thank you for reading. I can’t describe how much I look forward to writing to you each week.

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