Darwin was Right

A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth. ~ Darwin

I'm feeling very worthwhile at the moment.

In myriad ways, a good friend hit all the right buttons today, one right after the other.

Dropping by for a late afternoon visit, she supplied floral and citrusy Mouton Cadet Blanc 2011, an ideal sipper as I told her about my Saturday night.

You move fast, she complimented me.

When I can, I do.

She did show and tell about her Saturday, telling me about the 50% off sale at her neighborhood thrift store and how she'd scooped up all kinds of bargains.

Then she pulled out a dress she'd bought for me, partly, she said, because "it just looked like you" but also because she knew I wouldn't give her too much of a hard time for splurging $3.50 on me.

"I know you don't approve of spending any more than that on a dress," she said. It's true.

The dress is adorable, flounced like a '20s flapper dress below the high waist with a simple bodice on top.

She's so right, it's very much a Karen dress.

Still, it was an incredibly thoughtful gesture.

Back at our conversation, we discussed the difficulty of finding men who like poetry readings and foreign films when it occurred to us that we still haven't seen the new Woody Allen film, despite discussing doing so more than once.

Immediately looking at showtimes, we find a screening of "Blue Jasmine" that starts in thirteen minutes, so we toss back the remainder of our wine and head to Movieland.

Not every friend would chug her wine for a dark look at love and money, although perhaps I'm not allowing enough credit for the lure of popcorn and Milk Duds.

Nothing like an afternoon of wine and talking to prepare us for a film that's essentially a reworking of "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Well, except that Jasmine isn't attracted to her sister's man, and it's set in San Francisco.

As a Woody Allen fan since college, I am fascinated by how vibrant his talent remains, even as he inches toward 80.

In a lot of ways, the film is a look at the difference between the haves and the have-nots, with the formerly filthy rich Jasmine disdainful of her blue-collar sister's apartment when she has to move in with her.

I'm here to tell you that the sister's apartment was utterly charming and while a rich bitch may have found it small, considering the prices of San Francisco real estate, it was roomy (and probably not really affordable on the salary of a grocery store worker).

Watching Cate Blanchett play the unstable formerly rich wife, always dressed to the teeth, flying first class, carrying Louis Vuitton luggage, two things occurred to me.

How is that some people still don't realize that money doesn't buy happiness?

I like my $3.50 dress better than anything I saw Cate wear in the movie.

Okay, make it three.

I'm so lucky to have the friends I do.