Wow.
I read that one earlier today, since it’s been making the rounds within the foodie blogger community on Twitter (yeah, there is one… ain’t life grand?)
It’s the textbook definition of bittersweet - he’s lost so much, but he’s still managed to found a silver lining in it all. That closing line is just utterly heartbreaking and optimistic at the same time… I actually had to step back for a second to catch my breath.
I love that guy.
Sometimes surgery doesn’t work and you have to accommodate a new reality. I applaud Ebert for doing so not only gracefully but also publicly. Yes, it is sad to miss out on eating and drinking, even sadder to miss out on the camaraderie of dinner conversation, but his blog says to me that one can cope with adversity and find life not only worth living but also still wonderful even if there are things you can no longer do and things you have lost. It seems to me he is focusing as much on what he still has as what he has lost.
Moved MPSIMS --> Cafe Society.
Me too, but not for the reason you might imagine.
Going back to the late 70s, my whole family made a point of seeing Roger and Gene’s show…it was like our “date night”. Today I still admire Mr. Ebert, but the admiration is rooted in memories of watching him with my brother and my (now departed) mom and dad.
Huh…I guess Roger Ebert is laying off the fatty foods after all.
That was so elegant and graceful, thanks for posting it. It reminds me to be grateful for the simple acts of life, and all best thoughts for Mr. Ebert.
So what is his prognosis? I leapt to the conclusion from the OP and the column that he’s near death. Is that right?
I don’t get that sense. He’d battled several different cancers in his throat and mouth, and nearly died in 2006 when his carotid artery burst, but I think that the surgeries he referred to in the blog were reconstructive, attempting (but failing) to give him back the use of his mouth.
He hasn’t been able to speak for several years now (I don’t know if he’s been unable to eat or drink for that same period), but he’s still actively reviewing movies for the Sun-Times.
That’s a very poignant posting. I’m not surprised to hear he’s given up on the surgeries because I already knew he never expected to speak again, which gives you some idea of the condition his body was in. After three tries I’m not surprised he’s had enough. It must be tough. I am glad he’s at peace with the state of things.
I’m positive it’s one of the rules of the Internet: “if it can exist, it does on the 'net. If it can only be imagined, it exists on the 'net.”
Well, the man is known for reviewing movies with a simple “thumbs up / thumbs down” - doesn’t need to speak really.
Not necessarily. It is entirely possible that they got all the cancer. He could live many more years yet, though I personally have no way of knowing what his actual health status is. People have lived for decades with g-tubes and the like.
IMO there is no finer writer around. His weekly blogs are treasures.
I’m having a root beer right now, in his honor, and as a fellow former Illini! Of course, mine is diet and has vodka and a splash of oj in it! Don’t knock it 'til you try it! Cheers, Roger!
My understanding is that all the surgeries, and the decision not to have any more, were years ago. I saw him at his film festival last year and he was certainly frailer than before his health problems, but nothing suggested he was near death.
I’ve been cleaning out stuff around here and I have one of his video guides from 2006. I can’t bring myself to throw it out or give it away, because I can pick it up at any time and start reading about movies I’ve never seen, or hope to see, or have no interest in seeing. All so beautifully erudite yet approachable. Like an uncle you love, even though he has a high falutin’ college degree and you have a GED. He did win a Pulitzer prize. And even though he can’t speak, he most certainly can communicate in his column every week!
He is so gifted with the language that I forget that he can no longer speak aloud. What a treasure!
I just got the idea that the reconstructive surgery on his jaw failed, and that he’s resigned to that fact and that’s just the way it’s gonna be. Now, it is possible that he’s not telling everything, too.
I was reading this thread, and remarked to my wife that it looked as though Roger and Gene would be getting back together again soon. Despite the fact that it’s been years since either of us watched Ebert’s show, she knew instantly who I was talking about and what I was saying.
I’ve always liked his reviews - he never seemed to let film snobbery get in the way of praising a movie for being just plain fun.