dinner and a movie with the bfe!

"Wait a minute! This is Wednesday Night Supper time! Right?"

 

Yes, it is, and he was only too glad to pick me up and take me to Asbury Memorial for that meal! That's because it was to be pot roast, and he doesn't have beef very often, but he loves it.  

 

"Oh, that looks delicious!"

 

It was! I'm glad I was able to buy his dinner for a change. I'd already paid for mine two weeks ago, so the $8 was easy. He ate every bit of his meal, too! I mean, I ate all of mine, too, but for him that's a sure sign he enjoyed it. He liked being in Holliday Hall, too, even asking about the painting of Miss Virginia. I told him about her not liking how old she was in it, so he told me about one of the women in his Sunday group not liking her current-age photos, either. We sat with Pam and Walt, so that was nice!

 

"What's with the Dias De Los Muertos meme?"

 

Perry Foster had posted that, so I was discussing that with the physicist. Neither of us had been familiar that there were so many days associated with that event.

 

"So, you showed him the meme on your phone?"

 

Oh, no! The place mats tonight were printed for Dia De Los Muertos, which we tend to observe for Ruthie Deffley. So, I brought up that the Mexican holiday actually is for more than one day. Pretty interesting!

 

"Good to learn something new, and to share it with others, isn't it? And what was the movie that Jeff Secrest had agreed to see?"

 

Hey, it was his idea! It's the new one with Olivia Colman, a bit of funny, raunchy, comedy which she does so well! I was interested, too, in "Wicker", which promised a different kind of robot for amorous action. Alexander Skarsgard was fabulous as the man with a heart and mind inside all that basketware!

 

"Oh, I remember that he's quite fond of that actress!"

 

Yes, she's just a year younger than he is. Alexander is another two years younger, having been born in 1976. And Peter Dinklage, now 57 years old, was just fabulous as the master weaver trying to give the people what they want, only to find that the people didn't really know what they were asking for. I mean, really, who would want a perpetual baby that would never grow beyond infancy? Seriously?!

 

"What a terrible choice! Who made that?"

 

One of the women who'd been widowed when her husband fell through a hole in the roof and died. He was trying to do like the Wicker man and be handy, but he was a klutz. So the woman had requested that the weaver make her a wicker baby. She really didn't think that through. The other townspeople figured she'd had sex with the Wicker man! Did they truly not understand how preposterous that was? He had no internal organs, so sperm was out of the question. Such dolts!

 

"Not quite science literate, were they? Wow."

 

Well, the fairy tale ended on a note that the Brothers Grimm would have approved. I certainly did, and so did the bfe! Nice that Comcast helped me treat him to that movie! They gave me a $10 reward toward the ticket, so I bought his on fandango with that perk. I bought mine at NCG tonight. With luck, I'll win two free tickets to a future show there!

 

"Oh, that would be nice! They tend to have some unusual films that AMC would never show."

 

Very true. And guess what? The two of us will have another movie outing next week! An Indian film will be at the Royal Cinema for only two days, Wednesday and Thursday, so he'll have to let me know which day. He told me his afternoons are fairly free this semester, as he's just teaching two classes. Maybe we'll be able to hit one of the earlier showings. That would be good, as it's more than three hours long.

 

"Hope that works out! I know he wants to see it. Maybe y'all could meet for a late lunch and early movie one of those days."

 

We'll see. (smile!) 

changing up my friday night!

Usually, I have dinner with my brothers, right?

However, I know I'll be seeing them on Sunday at Robin's party.

That's why, when Carolyn asked me to do something with her, I agreed.

It helped that she wanted to see a movie that I've been looking forward to: "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother".

She even knew some of the actors in it, but I did not.

What I knew was it looked at both Islam and Christianity, among other things, and there are so few movies that touch on those topics.

It started with Latif, a Muslim, performing his job as a hit man for another Muslim.

Then his wife dies and suddenly it's all up to him to tend to his three children.

The eldest is a daughter, the son is 10 years old, and the youngest is another daughter, but there's a catch.

The baby has been raised on breast milk, and now the mother is dead.

How to supply sustenance to the baby, who is allergic to formula?

Meanwhile, his boss is after him to clean up a mess the boss's porn-movie maker son has caused with a militaristic Christian group.

What are to be his priorities in this new paradigm as a single father?

Such an excellent movie about choices.

We had a conversation about it in the hall with others who'd been in the screening room, then talked about it more during dinner.

 

That's right: dinner & a movie, though not in that order!

I had been craving pasta e fagiole, so no other place would do than the Olive Garden!

Carolyn was just fine with that decision.

After all, she knew I'd be paying for hers, so where to dine was my choice.

The latter part of the month is always a bit tight for her on her railroad pension.

I enjoyed that soup so much that I had a second bowl of it, and finished it off, too!

That meant I had leftovers to take home.

Wonderful!!!

I knew that gluten-free rotini swimming in meat sauce would make a mighty fine meal later!

What a nice change of pace this has been, and how good to spend an evening with my friend!

I am so blessed to have been able to treat her for dinner.

I am so blessed to have such good women to call friends.

i thank You, God.

laundry and list done!

That was the carrot to justify my rewards this afternoon.

If I got all the clothes washed and dried and put away, I could have a leisurely double feature, double header, at the cinema. 

So, here are the clothes, in the quadruple machine which I like at Suds.

Sadly, it had a problem with its drain, so there were still suds in the last few items in the washer as I was unloading it.

Ack. 

I had to rinse those by hand, then took them home to dry.

The rest all went into the single dryer, as usual.

I know, I know, it's been almost five months since I was at the laundry!

If not for being able to do small batches during my dog-sitting forays since February, I would have run out of undies a long time ago.

Fortunately, those were spaced out such that those small loads were exactly what I needed, when I needed it.

i thank You, God.

Then, as my reward I finished off my AMC A*List with two more "determined women" films, without realizing I had a theme until I saw the image.

See what I mean?

"Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass" was already discussed.

That leaves the other two, both seen this afternoon and prevening.

I still don't understand why "Moana" was made as "live-action", as it followed the 2016 animated film exactly.

My guess is they wanted to do so while The Rock was still pretty buff.

After all, Dwayne Johnson isn't gonna get any younger, right?

He's 54 years old now, and certainly looks it, but he still looked good enough to stand in for a demigod that had been on a desert isle for 1000 years.

(smile!)

I don't know why they changed out the girl, swapping out Auliʻi Cravalho and replacing her with Catherine Laga'aia, as they are only 5 years apart in age, but there may have been an availability issue.

I'm just thrilled that they kept Jemaine Clemente there to voice that "Shiny"-loving treasure crab!!!

I followed that with a conversation with both Trey and Tom!

The two managers were changing shifts, so it was nice to chat with both.

I found out that parking lot lights should be at least started by the end of this month - hooray!!      

Then I ate pizza for slunch while I watched "Supergirl".

Bless her heart, she was having a rough time on her 23rd birthday, as it seemed to be just another day of getting drunk, like so many others.

Then, of all the bars in that alien world, the little girl walks into hers, seeking someone to kill Krem, the creep that slaughtered her sword-making family.

Kara Zor-El tried to shake the girl, but her dog, Krypto, seemed to like her so the trio seemed stuck together for a while.

That didn't last long before Krem came calling... and reminded her of something her father had told her: to be good.

It was the same message her cousin CLark kept throwing at her.

They weren't telling her to 'behave', they were trying to get her to acknowledge the goodness in her heart.

Pretty good movie!

Maybe I'll be able to see that one again in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, that trio will have to do.

Now, I'm going to watch "8 Days: To The Moon And Back" with my dinner. 

I recorded the 2019 PBS documentary a few days ago and now, when naught is on except FIFA soccer, it's perfect for me!

It promises to have actual cockpit voice recordings, as well as recordings from the Houston Space Center and various news broadcasts, so I'm looking forward to it.

I imagine it'll be much of the same things I heard at the Kennedy Space Center, but, still, that's pretty awesome stuff!

What a moment in history that was for the entire world!

Shhh... it's starting...

tina tuesday with movie, dinner, and dane!

My first niece was dropping me off after dining with her and Anthony at Seasons of Japan.

Naturally, we were standing in the front yard, getting "real" hugs and chatting, when we saw familiar faces coming down Allegheny.

 

It was my youngest brother 

and his wife, 

strolling down the road 

with Dane the dog!

 

Dane was a little perplexed

 to see me, 

but only for 

a brief moment,

then he was ready for home.

I could just hear his thoughts. 

"Come along, now, 

Tony and Laura!

I'm thirsty and 

I'm ready for some 

puppy ice cream!!"

 

However, we chatted on 

for a little longer, 

until the setting sun 

convinced Christina 

to head for home.

 

What a lovely Tuesday

this has been!

meals and movies, with some free!

Last Friday, both the dinner & the movie were free!

Remember, I had a free 4th Club sandwich coming to me for buying three during Jason's Deli's "Club Club" promotion?

Naturally, I chose the California Club!

That one comes with tortilla chips and salsa as the free side - and I gotta have that on Friday!

Then I bopped over to AMC with my A*List and watched "Weapons" again.

That truly has a good story!

On Tuesday, I attended "The Celebration of Life of Dr. Gordon Baker" at Asbury Memorial Church.

That made my second trip there this week, as I went Sunday for Communion and Rev. Billy's sermon about fried chicken and mangoes, plus BIG Coffee Hour - such a good luncheon, with leftover chicken and crumb cake for breakfast Monday!

Back to Tuesday... I had not known Gordon, but I knew his partner, Tom Lewis, so that's why I went.

I'm glad I did, as I learned what Gordon did for libraries all over the southeast.

All of his actions were steeped in the deep sense of noblesse oblige in his veins.

That also carried over to this: a catered luncheon from The Pirate's House for all who came today.

Fried chicken for the second time this week!!!

I do believe Gordon and I would have been friends.

I'm thinking he would have enjoyed this movie I watched at NCG Cinema.

"Splitsville" was all about the foibles of two married men and their wives, with a touch of malarkey in the form of frequent frontal male nudity - hilarious!

It was obviously a labor of love for Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, who both wrote and starred in it.

Well worth the $6 paid!

Then, tonight, I had dinner & a movie again, though not in that order.

First came the free A*List movie, "Light Of The World", that I thought might have been drawn by AI.

Nope, it was drawn by human hands, with no digital enhancements, hence the odd-looking feet and hands.

That gave it the "children's storybook come to life" feel that the writers wanted.

Success!

Then I swept into Jason's Deli for dinner and more, for $15.14 - what a deal!

Yes, they offered me two Kids Meals for 99 cents apiece, so I jumped all over it.

The Mesa Chicken Salad was tonight's, the pizza will be two breakfasts, and the Chicken Alfredo Pasta is definitely a future dinner! 

While I waited there, I enjoyed this serene view.

Rather looks like a painting, doesn't it?

(smile!)

for love of a great-uncle

 

There they stand, with a cardboard cutout of their Great-Uncle.

The diminutive man had been a genius when it came to getting movies financed after the silent film era had passed and the more expensive 'talkies' entered.

Producers' names aren't usually what I notice in movie credits, so it was no surprise to me that I'd never heard of Edward Small.

These three relatives - Roy Cranman, the great-nephew; Karen Botnick Paz, Roy's wife; and Michelle "Shellie" Schmals, the third cousin - are out to make their Great-Uncle better known to those who love film.

That's why they'd set up this viewing of "Solomon And Sheba" at the Savannah JEA, posting news of the event on fb all this past week.

I'd asked my amigas to come with me, but only Carolyn did, getting there in plenty of time to stay dry on what became a very stormy Sunday afternoon.

Honestly, the crashing of the thunder outside was a a perfect counterpoint for all the clashing of swords and heated sexual overtones in this 1959 movie!!!

Carolyn actually remembered seeing the movie when it first came out in the cinema!

She was about 13 years old and was captivated by the racy costumes that Gina Lollobrigita wore, by the huge battle scenes waged between 'Solomon' and his brother, 'Adonijah', for the title of 'King of Israel', and by the saucy dances performed by the pagan 'Queen of Sheba' and her people - wow!!!

I know I would have been just as mesmerized if I'd seen it as a teen!

As it was, it was a fabulous retelling of a Biblical tale, with a large dose of literary license and a 39-year-old Yul Brynner, with a marvelous head of hair, as 'Solomon'!

Carolyn and I very much enjoyed the pre-film and post-film talks, too, with Roy telling stories about his Great-Uncle Eddie - very cool!

 

Then, as the rain had passed, we adjourned to Chili's for dinner and talk.

She loves their menu as much as I do, especially those 3-for-me combos!

She had the Ole-Timer Burger, we both shared the chips and salsa, and I took most of that Shrimp Cajun Pasta home for another meal.

She ate every bit of hers!

And she must have thanked me three times for inviting her to come out to that movie!

I'm so glad she enjoyed it, too!

Dinner and a movie - always better with a friend! 

(smile!)

birthday chicken for breakfast!

Yes, indeed! That leftover chicken breast, topped with the superbly garlicky spinach from Carrabbas, reheated very well! I added some mini rotini - and coffee, of course! - to complete the meal.

Now, I'm off to Bluffton for dinner and a movie with my stepmom!
Finally!!!
She had sent me an email on Friday. She would be kid-free all of this week; would I like to meet up with her for our much-missed outings?
Hell to the Y E A H!!!
Today, we shall see "Million Dollar Arm" and then have slunch... somewhere!
On Wednesday, we shall meet again, this time lunching before the movie and at our beloved Cheeburger Cheeburger. That's right! It has reopened - or will officially tomorrow - and we are both so excited we can hardly stand it!!!
Oh, which movie are we slated to view that day?
"Belle", you nosy thing!
(smile!)
She picked that one, as she likes films from the American Civil War era.
Hey, I'm just glad we're able to get together and catch up!

drifting into time passages

Yeah, I think Al Stewart would have said that we were doing that tonight. I had actually told the bfe that the theme of the films included in this Fliss Film Festival, Dos, was time passages. As you will see, they all deal with a span of time betwixt now and then.
One reminder to self: do not show films which are mystical to the physicist. Point 1: he's a magician, thereby prone to dismiss such things. Point 2: he's a physicist, making him doubly prone to dismiss any concepts dressed in supernatural meaning.
Ah, well.
Next time, right?
Meanwhile, for tonight's showing of kickstarter rewards, I had four physical copies and one to watch online. I again asked him to set then up in the order he wished to view them, with me giving brief intros.
So, here goes!
The first to be viewed contained the briefest elapsed period of time (only 14 years) and concerned the return of an errant mother to her daughter's home. "Curse of the Sunset Starlet", with its retro bookends of old photos, was beautiful and mystical and featured sunset moths, among other lovely winged insects. I knew within the first ten minutes that he was not happy with it. Drats. Its running rime is 25 minutes. At the end, he said he felt as though he had been beat around his head with butterflies.
It really made no difference that the film had been a winner at several film festivals in the world and had even made it into consideration for an Academy Award. Nope, that made no impact on him, it was not his cup of tea at all.
Next, please!
"Red Thread" considers a political activist after thiry years in prison. The film now carries the subtitle "The Prisoner and the Painter and has an operatic score and lyrical interludes. This was more to his liking, as there was no supernatural element in it and it was straightforward. What you see is what there is, with no allusion to forces beyond our ken at work. I think, also, that he rather liked that the prisoner had no remorse for her acts of terrorism. That's okay; she still has 45 years left on her sentence in Bedford Hills Prison.
The third film was chosen because it teleported us back in time to January of 1945, the story of a flyguy trapped behind enemy lines when his plane went down. For "12:15 Sunday", I don't own a hard copy, but I do have access to the film on VIMEO. [Sadly, I cannot give you the private link to the full-length video.]
This film, he did like. With its method of cutting back and forth between now, with the old man telling his tale, and then, when the even occurred, interest was guaranteed! It also segued quite nicely into the next film, also featuring a veteran of World War II.
Back to the television for this fourth film! The time is now, I told the bfe, but the setting is grade school, with an elderly veteran accompanying his grandson for a session of "show and tell". "Chalk Talk", I had also said, was a very sweet film that I really like, too. I think Chris Durenburger has a fine eye and a fine heart - the bfe agreed, even though he favors film with unhappy endings. I think this one's finale may have been unresolved enough to still be quite pleasing for him.
It probably should be noted that these last two films were made by local film students. Both films were honored with SCADemy Awards, too. "12:15 Sunday" won for Best Undergraduate Documentary, whereas "Chalk Talk" was awarded the Best Undergraduate Narrative. They took home other awards, too. Pretty fine achievements!
Oops! I got a little sidetracked there, didn't I?
On to the fifth, and final, film of the Fliss Film Festival, Dos.
As I had told him, this deals with an enormous span of time, millenia in the past. It's also quite beautiful to watch. "Genesis: Air, Water, Life" tells the story of the evolution of creatures from the water to the land, using dance and music. Madame Rex, aka Rachel Strickland, transforms a container of water onstage into a petri dish full of beings struggling to explore and be free. I very much love this film! He rather enjoyed it, too, and I think it was more than just the thirteen-year-old boy watching the nearly naked, and wet, pretty girl.
(smile)
After all, this line-up of films was his choice.
I would like to think he was mindful of my likes, as with the first FFF.
Yes, that is the story I will tell myself!
If you have another version, write it in yer own blog!
(smile!)
Meanwhile, I need to go through the films not yet shown and see if there is just one more Fliss Film Festival in the works, or possible two Especially if I can obtain a few of the others that are owed but not yet received...
Later, 'tater!

film fest with the physicist

What a fabulous day today! I awoke late, but right on time for my first niece to call before breakfast and lure me away to a Mexican brunch! Muy bueno, chica!!! She and I had fajitas and conversation for two hours! Very nice way to start my day!
Then, I managed to get the front yard and almost half of the back yard mowed before the battery ran low in my mower. Yeah! After all, I had hoped to get at least the front done before the rain came.
Oh, blue sky day, you say?
(smile.)
True, the day began that way. But, as time approached for my dinner at Chez Secrest, I knew the rain would, too. You see, it's become a bit of an inside joke for us. Fortunately, we both like rain.
This time, it held off until after we had dined on Garlic-Ginger Shrimp Couscous. We were inside, enjoying the Fliss of Kickstarter Film Festival when the rains came. All comfy cozy were we, with cats in laps!

Oh, I see I lost you with that film festival reference. Sorry 'bout that! No, it was not an advertised event, it was a viewing of six of the short films I have backed as Fliss. Fliss of Kickstarter.
(smile.)
Best of all, for me, was the bfe's active embrace of the event. Truly.
Yesterday, I had first suggested my bringing some of my swag to share, instead of him supplying a movie. He had agreed and today I had picked out six shorts for us, being mindful of his tastes.
Tonight, after dinner was done and we adjourned to the living room, I brought out the films. He encouraged me to give him some synopses, then he arranged the films in the order he thought would be best...being mindful of my tastes. Meaning, he was sure to place an upbeat film as the finisher. I must say, I think he did an excellent job with the scheduling!
(smile!)
First up was "Allegheny Creek". I had told him it was about a fellow released from prison and trying to reconnect with his son and ex-wife. After the film was over, he remarked on its ending, that it felt real, leaving things unresolved and unsettled. Good!
Next up was the Reichard brothers' film. I had billed it as a robbery of a diner, with a twist. (Pretty much the same way I had titled my review of "The Restaurant Job".) Big hit! The bfe loved its professional feel and the way the story played out. Good! I had hoped he would!
"The Flight" did not quite suit his fancy. My synopsis had been that it was a post-apocalyptic tale with a lesbian lead, but was not an LGBT film. At the tale's end, he admitted that the steampunk-flavor lent a prettiness overall, but the plot was fairly tame. I added the background of the local library's summer of 2011 program which had been centered on Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451', which had no doubt had an impact on this project. I had attended several of the events and totally enjoyed the science fiction. (Note: it was NOT 2011, but 2008 for that Bradbury book.)
Yeah, yeah. Next film, please!
(smile!)
So, on to the story of the girl-crazy boy who gets cursed by a gypsy! Oh, wait, that isn't PC! But the title is "Gypped", so the term stays. So there! This humorous fable of a fellow with hubris was a fine mental palate cleanser, offering a quick and bubbly bit of distraction before the more sober tale to follow.
"Billy Brown", the film about the would-be comedian in search of the right audience, was to be the fifth and penultimate film in our festival of shorts. However, it only got halfway in before technical difficulties interfered with out viewing. Perhaps that was one of my angels looking out for me. After all, I had cautioned the bfe that I had cried all three times that I have watched this film. Still, I will try to upload it for him, as I think he may like the realness of its title character.
And so we reached the sixth of six films. I had spoken of "Assisted Loving" as a love story in a nursing home, done beautifully by the talented Sam Queen. With its professional touch and zany characters, this film was definitely the perfect dessert to enjoy as our evening neared its end. Like the physicist, I anticipate more good works from these craftsmen.
Such a lovely evening, I tell you!
And look... the rain had even stopped.
(smile!)

egos and fins of old cars

Today, a Tuesday, I happened to be at the school for Spring Convocation. Well, that's what I meant to happen, but I dillydaddled around until I was truly only in time for the free lunch.
That's cool.
I then treated myself to a movie about a dalliance between a computer and a man. Hai had seen "Her" and spoken highly of it, and I was killing time southside, so I went.
I was the only one there.
That was the same situation he had experienced, too.
And we both found that to be okay, as the first twenty minutes or so are meant to make the viewer feel like a voyeur.
A little unsettling, to be sure.
The lead character was pretty unsettled, too, by that last "sexual" encounter. So he turned to a virtual companion.
That got pretty weird, too.
The part that was the most disturbing to me, though, were his pants. They were like old man pants, high-waisted, but beltless, and rendering him pretty gender-neutral.
Maybe that was the point.
Anyway, after the film, I contacted the physicist to see if he would like a ride home. You see, he had invited me to Chez Secrest for dinner and a movie - again! - and I just thought I'd save him the bus fare.
Too late. He had already fled north. After all, he had a dinner to make!
Then we proceeded to have this conversation about geometric shapes.

him: Be there or be a rhombus.
me: I choose parallelogram. :-) Pretty sure i spelled that wrong.
him: I find the parallelogram to be pleasing!
me: Like egos on old cars.
me: Like fins
him: I can see that.
me: Stupid word choices by my phone. Unless the egos of old cars are manifested in their fins.
him: They may be...
me: I would hate to think my phone knew that..

Actually, I wonder if anyone has ever researched the correlation between the size of the fins on those beautiful old vehicles and the egos of those who designed them? I could see that being a nice master's thesis for an art or psychology or maybe even an engineering graduate student.
So, the bfe and I dined on salmon tonight - yum!
he knows how much I enjoy seafood!
I had brought my favorite white wine to share with him. He rather enjoyed the monks' Blanc du Bois, too, and its crisp grapefruit tang worked like magic with the oily fish - very good combination!
Then we indulged in the sumptious feast which IS Mae West. No, really! He had come upon the film when he was out and about and knew my predilection for the divine Ms. West, so he had bought it.
Nice.
"My Little Chickadee" was pure fluff, but that was good! Light and funny, romantic in a not-so-serious way, easy and entertaining.
Perfect for petting Contessa the Cat, continuously, allowing me - and her - to get in plenty of touches to savor for later.
Very nice.
Thanks, bfe.