Dear Hearts, this is Carlee and Spike, two students that I taught in the early '60's in Cartersville, Georgia. They drove up from Atlanta to see me yesterday and took me to lunch in the new Ironstone Grill on Sylva's main street. We spent three hours in a kind of drunken reverie. These two were "a hot item" in the halls of Cartersville High School, but things didn't work out. Carlee ended up in a significant position in Atlanta that I don't understand; Spike went to South America as some kinds of "communications expert." He writes a bit, acts in the local theater group in Indiatlantic, Florida and watches the same foreign film that I do. He is also a Cormac McCarthy addict ....but yesterday, we talked about a world we once shared in Georgia: Carlee did Amanda in "The Glass Managerie;" Spike acted in a surreal Russian play called "Theater of the Soul." We won the district and the state, I think.

All of this was 50 years ago and somehow, we have remained friends despite radical changes in our personal lives. Yesterday, it all came rushing back and I remembered Georgia's intense heat, a hundred local scandals, our shared memories of the high school principal who was a sexual deviate, a dozen local eccentrics and the fate of a hundred friends. We even talked about a class reunion this fall and the possibility that this decrepit old man might attend.

I am especially moved by the fact that these two have remained friends despite marriages and homes in different parts of the world. Each time I start feeling a bit depressed about my life, I remember Carlee and Spike.

JACK, THE JACK RUSSELL

For those of you who have never met my best friend and constant companion, here he is. His name is Jack and he goes with me everywhere. He was greatly taken with my author badge that I received at the Blue Ridge Book Fair and wore it for several days. I've had Jack for about seven years now. He was one of a litter of five that was named after the "Jackson Five" and he was Germaine (or is it " Jermaine"?) When I got there, he was the only one left, having been passed over because he had a "bubble" in his eye. It is a common defect and is easily removed, which it was when he was six months old. I also consider the fact that he was hit by a car when he was a pup a most fortunate event since he survived, but has a profound fear of speeding automobiles. The first thing I did was change his name to Jack since I had no intention of going out on the porch at night and calling "Here, Germaine!" He is overweight and has trouble getting in my bed at night where he sleeps with Booger, my eccentric cat. He hates uniforms and hats and once bit the mailman, who now refuses to bring packages to the house. (Jack didn't even break the skin on the mailman's ankle, but the mail man considers Jack a vicious mongrel). I, on the other hand, consider him a prince of a dog. He loves everyone and will insist in siting in your lap if you come to visit.

THE VISITOR - MY KIND OF MOVIE!

I've noticed that the movies that I enjoy the most are frequently those that I know nothing about. For whatever reason, I have resisted reading any of the reviews for "The Visitor," so when I sat down last night to watch it, I had some vague idea that it had something to do with an airport. I'm so pleased with the surprises in this film, I think I will repeat the process: watch many more movies that I know nothing about. So, I guess I'll try to avoid spoiling your enjoyment by giving away major portions of the plot.

The acting is fantastic! It took me about 20 minutes to recognize Richard Jenkins, the actor who portrayed the dead father who frequently appears in the dreams and fantasies of his wife and two sons in "Six Feet Under." He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in "The Visitor," and in a personal interview he recently acknowledged that this film gave him the best role of his career. The actor who plays the young man from Syria (Hiam Abbass) is also wonderful, and I'm going to watch for him in future films.

I think a great deal of my response to this film came from empathy with the protagonist's solitary life. Even in the middle of a city, he is profoundly alone; he is also without a purpose in a world that is becoming increasingly remote - and at times, hostile. This is a redemptive movie, of course, since it focuses on our need for friends, lovers and companions. This film is set in New York City and the familiar landmarks are fitting backdrops for a film about alienation, loss and new beginnings. Please see it and tell me what you think.