8.3.09

• The Warners refused to consider Julie Andrews for the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film version of "My Fair Lady," even though she created the role on stage. Instead, they would only cast Audrey Hepburn. The directors then had Hepburn's singing parts recorded again by a more polished singer and put those into the film, which took away the character Hepburn put into the singing parts and likely cost her an Oscar nomination for the role. Julie Andrews ended up winning the Oscar for best actress that year for "Mary Poppins." She thanked the Warners in her acceptance speech.

• Apparently symphony orchestras have jump on the "tweeting" bandwagon for their performances. (Read a story here.) Is there no place left to feel classy and sophisticated that doesn't involve a battery or wall outlet?

• Handwriting – especially really messy handwriting – does not fax well.

• Small nicities stick with people. Don't underestimate them.

• Isn't it strange how very good and very bad things bring people together in the same way?

This weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the wedding of two of my closest friends, which brought friends from many different places together to celebrate them. Seeing people you've met at various stops along the way not only makes you remember and appreciate the past, but also allows you to realize how great it is that the parts of people that make them friends very seldom change or go away. Even if you don't have the luxury of seeing them on a daily basis anymore, good friends always remain good friends. And it's terribly exciting to watch people you care about grow and make their lives uniquely their own – even if it has to be from a distance.

After the wedding, I found out that someone I'd known since grade school had died in his sleep. I no longer live in the town we went to school in. But I immediately remembered the first kind gesture he made when we first met – even as a third grader who probably didn't realize what a difference he made. He was very kind, very giving, and will be genuinely missed by many people. As the news has spread – mostly via Facebook – I've heard from several old classmates whom I haven't seen or spoken to in many years. The barriers that junior high and high school create are no longer there, and everyone is an individual now, which is encouraging even amid the shock and confusion. People are concerned, and they want to help one another. They want to express their appreciation and sympathy as the group they once were.

As I was thinking about it all – how strange it seems that two situations that foster opposite emotions can have similar results – one of those classmates said something that could not have been more true: "I believe in my heart Robert had a purpose even now ... bringing people together."

• Coincidentally, the newspaper ran a story about what happens to a person's online personality – their e-mail, Facebook and MySpace pages, etc. – when they die unexpectedly. (The full story can be found here.) In one of the instances featured, a friend of the deceased got her passwords from her family and kind of keeps up with her online pages, including replying to some messages that people send to her profile. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on this. Is it ok for someone to read and/or reply to private messages or e-mails sent to the profile of someone who has died? Does it matter who that reader is (friend vs. family)? What do you think?