Dance with Me

Today on July 16, 1911, Ginger Rogers, the American actress and dancer who partnered with Fred Astaire in many Hollywood musicals, was born. I've chosen to share two different videos. One from Roberta titled Too Hard to Handle and the classic Cheek to Cheek from Top Hat, which is such a special and romantic song, it makes me dreamy-eyed thinking about the golden era of Hollywood romance.





Today's quote comes from J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, which was published today in 1951 and has become the seminal novel for teen angst.

"Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them — if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry."

In an interesting coincidence in chapter 12 when the carousel starts, the song playing is "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" another song made famous by Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire, which they danced to in Roberta, the same film as above.

My own celebrations today involved a delicious dinner party at my godparents' house. I am so thankful for them, my godmother really took me under her wing when I was deeply in trouble earlier this year with a crippling depression. She spoke to me every day from Bermuda, whilst I was in LA and I really credit her with helping me get through it. Dinner was, as always, wonderful with the best steaks from Miles Market and far too many desserts than necessary.